Three-for-three in his NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying attempts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jesse Love attempted to sound like he didn’t take his success for granted.
It was hard though.
On his father’s birthday, Love on Friday turned a hot lap of 174.724 mph, earning the pole position for Saturday’s Fr8 208. He will begin on the inside of the front row for the third time in three Atlanta green flags.
Asked if he expected to run fast at the 1.54-mile quad-oval, Love attempted to downplay the trio of results.
“When we come to this place, I don’t want to say it’s a given,” Love told CW. “When you start expecting things, that’s when you start to get your feelings hurt.”
Love also turned the fastest lap during the first practice round.
Randy Childress Racing teammates will fill the front row.
Austin Hill, who has seven wins at drafting tracks, registered a 174.378 mph lap, earning as second-place start.
With race-time temperatures expected to be under 50-degrees, Hill said expects “some handling problems to come into play.”
Jesse Love is now just the 5th driver in Xfinity Series History to win 3 Poles in his first 3 starts at a track.
Jesse Love (Atlanta)
Austin Dillon (Kentucky)
Joey Logano (Kentucky)
Kurt Busch (Watkins Glen)
Sam Ard (Caraway & Orange County) pic.twitter.com/KaMLpzUDwi— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) February 21, 2025
Hendrick Motorsports Expands Xfinity Program
Hendrick Motorsports, the Cup Series’ all-time most successful organization, plans to expand its Xfinity Series program this season.
The Charlotte, N.C.-based garage will enter 16 second-tier events this season, featuring five pilots. All four of the Cup Series drivers, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman, plus developmental driver Corey Day will pilot the No. 17 Chevrolet.
Byron, who captured last Sunday’s Daytona 500 for a second consecutive season, will take the first ride at Circuit of The Americas on March 1. Byron and Kyle Larson are slated to compete in two races, while Elliott and Bowman will each take one turn. Day, 19, will compete in 10 events.
Entering Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports registered a Cup Series-best 313 wins.
.@TeamHendrick announces a schedule for the No. 17 Xfinity Series Chevrolet.
Adam Wall will be the crew chief, driving duties will be split between @WilliamByron, @Alex_Bowman, @KyleLarsonRacin, @chaseelliott, and @corey_day_
First race will be next weekend from @COTA.… pic.twitter.com/UrViHPzsNk
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) February 19, 2025
Starting Lineup for NASCAR’s Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250
Here is a look at the lineup for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Starting Position, Driver, Car No.
- 1, Jesse Love, No. 2 Chevrolet
- 2, Austin Hill, No. 21 Chevrolet
- 3, Josh Williams, No. 11 Chevrolet
- 4, Justin Allgaier, No. 7 Chevrolet
- 5, Sam Mayer, No. 41 Ford
- 6, Taylor Gray, No. 54 Toyota
- 7, Brandon Jones, No. 20 Toyota
- 8, Carson Kvapil, No. 1 Chevrolet
- 9, Christian Eckes, No. 16 Chevrolet
- 10, Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Chevrolet
- 11, William Sawalich, No. 18 Toyota
- 12, Sammy Smith, No. 8 Chevrolet
- 13, Daniel Dye, No. 10 Chevrolet
- 14, Ryan Sieg, No. 39 Ford
- 15, Nick Sanchez, No. 48 Chevrolet
- 16, Aric Almirola, No. 19 Toyota
- 17, Sheldon Creed, No. 00 Ford
- 18, Anthony Alfredo, No. 42 Chevrolet
- 19, Harrison Burton, No. 25 Ford
- 20, Jeb Burton, No. 27 Chevrolet
- 21, CJ McLaughlin, No. 92 Chevrolet
- 22, Dean Thompson, No. 26 Toyota
- 23, Parker Retzlaff, No. 4 Chevrolet
- 24, Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Chevrolet
- 25, Blaine Perkins, No. 31 Chevrolet
- 26, Ryan Ellis, No. 71 Chevrolet
- 27, Kyle Seig, No. 28 Ford
- 28, Kris Wright, No. 5 Chevrolet
- 29, Leland Honeyman, No. 70 Chevrolet
- 30, Matt DiBenedetto, No. 99 Chevrolet
- 31, Brennan Poole, No. 44 Chevrolet
- 32, Josh Bilicki, No. 91 Chevrolet
- 33, Garrett Smithley, No. 14 Chevrolet
- 34, Nick Leitz, No. 07 Chevrolet
- 35, Carson Ware, No. 74 Chevrolet
- 36, Mason Massey, No. 45 Chevrolet
- 37, Mason Maggio, No. 53 Ford
- 38, Joey Gase, No. 35 Chevrolet
The track is hot! 🔥#XfinitySeries qualifying at @ATLMotorSpdwy is live on the @TheCW_Sports App. pic.twitter.com/QgAY0l0fQO
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) February 21, 2025
