Jesse Love is going to get his shot to prove himself at the highest level of NASCAR.
Wood Brothers Racing announced Wednesday morning that the 21-year-old from California — who won the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Championship last season — will pilot its No. 21 Ford in 2027. Love replaces Josh Berry in the machine after Wood Brothers announced last week that he would not remain in the seat.
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“Words can’t describe what it means to me to realize this dream I’ve had for as long as I can remember,” Love wrote in a post on X. “I am so grateful to every single person who has had a hand in my journey from the time I was 5 years old to now. This is for those people who have pushed me and helped me.”
Love has quickly established himself as one of the promising young stars rising through the ranks of NASCAR. After having a breakout season in ARCA — which is sort of like NASCAR’s equivalent of Single-A baseball — where he won 10 races and captured the championship in 2023, Love signed with Richard Childress Racing to drive the team’s No. 2 Chevrolet in the O’Reilly Series.
The California native was the Rookie of the Year in that series in 2024, then won the championship last season, bookending the 2025 campaign with wins at Daytona and Phoenix. Through 17 O’Reilly races this season, he has 10 finishes inside the top 10 and is second in the point standings.
“Jesse has accomplished a lot at a young age,” said Jon Wood, president of Wood Brothers Racing. “He’s demonstrated the ability to win races, compete for championships and handle the expectations that come with racing at a high level. We’re looking forward to giving him the opportunity to take the next step in his career with the No. 21 team.”
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Love has competed in six Cup Series races over the past two seasons, with his best finish being 24th at the 2025 Brickyard 400.
After Berry revealed on a call with reporters last week that he wouldn’t be returning to Wood Brothers, the team confirmed in a statement that it would not be exercising the option on his contract for him to return to the No. 21 Ford in 2027. Berry made the playoffs last season after winning at Las Vegas, but has struggled this year with eight finishes of 30th or worse.
The Wood Brothers are the oldest active team in NASCAR’s Cup Series, having fielded cars in the top level of stockcar racing since 1950. NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd and Cale Yarborough all raced in Wood Brothers’ machines, as did other greats of the sport like Kyle Petty, Neil Bonnett, Michael Waltrip and AJ Foyt.
In the modern era of NASCAR, the team has struggled in recent years as the Cup Series has largely been dominated by bigger teams like Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske — the latter of which Wood Brothers has an alliance with. Since 2011, Wood Brothers has just three Cup Series wins: Ryan Blaney at Pocono in 2017, Harrison Burton at Daytona in 2024 and Berry in Las Vegas last season.
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Wood Brothers has one of NASCAR’s coveted charters, guaranteeing the team a spot in every Cup Series race regardless of qualifying, which generates a stable stream of revenue.
The announcement of Love jumping from RCR to Wood Brothers impacts two situations that had been percolating ahead of NASCAR’s offseason. Fans now know who will be driving the No. 21 Ford for the Wood Brothers, but it takes Love out of the running to fill the open Cup Series seat at RCR following the shocking death of Kyle Busch. Richard Childress has said that Austin Hill will drive the No. 33 Chevrolet for the rest of this season.
“Richard Childress Racing is appreciative of Jesse Love’s contributions during his three seasons with our organization and wishes him nothing but success in the future,” RCR said in a statement. “Jesse is a talented racer, and we are proud to have played a role in his development into a NASCAR champion. All parties remain aligned and committed to defending the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship in 2026.”
Love will be one of at least two rookies in the Cup Series next season. 23XI Racing announced last month that Corey Heim — who won the Truck Series championship last year — will be moving up to the Cup Series in 2027 to drive the No. 35 Toyota currently piloted by Riley Herbst.
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The other silly season domino to fall this week was RFK Racing announcing an extension for Chris Buescher in the No. 17 Ford. Currently, Berry and Herbst are the two Cup Series drivers without a ride at the top level for next season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jesse Love jumping from RCR to Wood Brothers in latest NASCAR season move
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