Jesse Love has the goal of winning a second consecutive O'Reilly Auto Parts Series championship before heading to the Cup Series with Wood Brothers Racing, but Martinsville Speedway presents a hurdle in this quest.
Videos by FanBuzz
The Richard Childress Racing driver doesn't have the strongest track record at the Virginia short track, one of two remaining venues on the season schedule. How he performs here will go a long way toward determining his championship fate.
Love is the current championship leader with two races remaining in the Chase. Justin Allgaier is second and 19 points behind. Corey Day is third and 29 points behind. Sheldon Creed is fourth and 50 points behind.
Carson Kvapil is the last driver mathematically in contention. He is 59 points behind Love.
Love has made five starts at Martinsville Speedway in his O'Reilly Auto Parts Series career. He has posted one top-10 finish — ninth in the 2024 spring race. His average finish is 18.7, and he has one DNF.
Looking beyond Martinsville, Love has not been as successful at the other short tracks on the schedule. This includes two races at Bristol this season. He has only averaged five stage points per race on short tracks this season, placing him seventh among the 12 Chase drivers.
For comparison, Allgaier leads the way with an average of 16 stage points per race on short tracks. Allgaier also won the spring race at Martinsville en route to becoming the No. 1 seed.
In terms of average finish on short tracks this season, Creed leads the Chase drivers at 4.0. Allgaier is second at 8.3. Love is last with an average finish of 19.0.
The defending champion is also the record holder for the worst average finish on short tracks by an O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver during a championship season. He had an average finish of 18.6 on short tracks last season.
Martin Truex Jr. had an average finish of 17.7 on short tracks during his championship run in 2005 while Allgaier had an average finish of 16.2 on short tracks in 2024.
The season ends at Homestead-Miami Speedway, an intermediate track where Love has made two starts while finishing fourth and sixth. This is a track where he could clinch a second consecutive title and close out his O'Reilly Auto Parts Series career.
However, he will first have to make it through Martinsville Speedway and remain in a favorable points position.
