NASCAR
Jesse Love Preps For Cup Debut; Justin Allgaier Has Best NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Drivers Championship Odds
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.
Get to know Jeff Hawkins betterPublished10 Apr 2025
With a win and five top-10 finishes during the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ opening eight events, Jesse Love is set to make his Cup circuit debut at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday.
The 20-year-old will pilot the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in a familiar setting. Love has competed at the 0.533-mile oval for the past five years.
“It’s going to be a high-pressure environment, so I don’t really feel like going into it overly excited and ambitious is the best way to go about it,” Love said, as reported by WCYB. “I’m just trying to keep a level head the whole weekend. I’ve got 500 laps to stay disciplined, so trying to keep the excitement level somewhat to a minimum.”
The 2024 Xfinity Series rookie of the year will also compete in Saturday’s SciAps 300 against Justin Allgaier, the points leader has compiled two wins and six top-fives and a series-high 325 laps led.
Allgaier (+250) also remains the circuit’s sports-betting favorite to capture the drivers’ championship, according to BetOnline Sportsbook. In a switch from last week, Austin Hill (+400), who earned his second win of the season last Saturday at Darlington Raceway, passed Connor Zilisch (+425) for the second-best odds.
Like Love, Zilisch, 18, will get his second Cup opportunity. He will pilot Trackhouse Racing’s No. 87 Chevrolet during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25. The Xfinity rookie placed P37 at COTA on March 2.
#NASCAR Jesse Love to make Cup Series Debut at Bristol. pic.twitter.com/JlhrXIFqHv
— WB Network (@WBNetwork72) March 28, 2025
2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Drivers’ Championship Odds
Here is a Week 9 look at the drivers’ odds for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:
| Driver | 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Odds |
|---|---|
| Justin Allgaier | +250 |
| Austin Hill | +400 |
| Connor Zilisch | +425 |
| Jesse Love | +700 |
| Sam Mayer | +800 |
| Sheldon Creed | +800 |
| Sammy Smith | +1200 |
| Brandon Jones | +1600 |
| Taylor Gray | +2000 |
| Carson Kvapil | +2000 |
| William Sawalich | +3300 |
| Nicholas Sanchez | +4000 |
| Christian Eckes | +4000 |
| Ryan Sieg | +4000 |
| Harrison Burton | +5000 |
| Jeb Burton | +6600 |
| Parker Retzlaff | +12500 |
| Daniel Dye | +12500 |
| Jeremy Clements | +15000 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | +15000 |
| Josh Williams | +20000 |
| Dean Thompson | +20000 |
| Ryan Ellis | +25000 |
| Blaine Perkins | +25000 |
| Kyle Sieg | +30000 |
| Kris Wright | +50000 |
| Leland Honeyman Jr. | +50000 |
| Brennan Poole | +50000 |
| Garrett Smithley | +50000 |
*-Odds current at time of publication
