Jesse Love is having the time of his life on the other side of the globe. After turning laps in the ZB Commodore at Mallala Motorsports Park ahead of his Super2 debut, the 20-year-old climbed out of the car, certain that this was “unlike anything I’ve ever driven.” But despite the steep learning curve, the Richard Childress Racing driver now looks ready for his first official run.

Stepping into a seat that was initially expected to be filled by two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, before Rowdy’s Supercars deal fell through last year, is a privilege in itself. And Love understands that he’s carrying the pressure of living up to the opportunity. But to ease away the tension and the pressure, one Australian driver has become the California-native’s guiding angel at Adelaide.

Jesse Love is backing Broc Feeney for the Supercars championship

Jesse Love is taking his first venture into Australian motorsport extremely seriously. In order to get a grasp on the sport, the RCR driver was quick to form a friendship with Australian racing driver Broc Feeny. Speaking about the newfound friendship, Love said, “Me and Broc have become decent friends over the last couple of months leading up to this, so it’s been cool to see how he’s managed his mindset, and he looks really calm and cool and collected. I’m definitely pulling for Broc this weekend, hopefully he can get it done.”

Jesse Love’s connection with Feeney began when the 23-year-old reached out to offer guidance ahead of Love’s Super2 debut. Although Feeney only competed for a single season in the Gen2 specification, he brings in valuable experience, having won the final race of that era at the 2022 Adelaide 500. Beyond his own expertise, Feeney also provided hands-on help with cockpit setup, assisting the American as he adapted to driving an unfamiliar car on one of Australia’s most challenging circuits.

Love’s first Super2 outing comes during Supercars’ inaugural grand final weekend at the BP Adelaide grand final, a high-stakes event for four drivers, Feeney, Will Brown, Chaz Mostert, and Kai Allen, who are battling for the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship. Having recently clinched the Xfinity Series title at Phoenix, Love is no stranger to performing under pressure, and his championship experience gives him a unique perspective on what it takes to succeed in high-pressure situations. Still, having a trusted friend nearby adds an extra layer of confidence.

Although the Supercars championship places more emphasis on consistency than NASCAR, since the finale consists of three races instead of a single showdown, delivering strong results in Adelaide remains crucial. Love’s firsthand experience thriving in a pressure-filled championship environment arguably makes him one of the most qualified voices in the paddock when it comes to discussing what the contenders may face. But it’s always good to have a friend around.

Barring talks about mentorship, this experience pushed Love to comment on the differences between the NASCAR playoff system and the Supercars’ playoff format. “I think when you have a winner-takes-all format, there can be a level of stress that can, in a way, eat at you a little bit if you’re not going about it and managing your emotions in the right way,” Love told the media. And even so, the Director of Supercars has spoken on this matter.

Love’s learning curve accelerated during a productive test day at the historic Mallala circuit, roughly an hour north of Adelaide. Still, he admitted that adjusting to sitting on the opposite side of the car from what he’s accustomed to requires more practice.

Reflecting on his first run before the debut, he said, “It was definitely very productive. I had really good coach there in [former Image drives and Super2 race winner] Jordan Boys, he was a huge help for me as well. I felt like my pace was great, probably the biggest issue for me was just the error count. On the brakes, sometimes I would lose awareness. When you’re at the limit you’re really not thinking about it, so it’s real easy to dip a wheel off at entry or hit a curb in the wrong way than what you wanted to.”

Love’s Super2 debut officially begins tomorrow, with two practice sessions scheduled for 11:10 a.m. local time/ 11:40 am ACDT and 2:00 pm local time/2:30 pm ACDT. But it’s important to remember that before Feeney, there was another driver who inspired Jesse Love.

Love credits Shane Van Gisbergen for growing Supercars’ interest

Love admits his fascination with Supercars began when Shane Van Gisbergen made the move to NASCAR in 2023, completely altering how he viewed the V8-powered category. The RCR driver’s interest in Australian supercars leaped forward early in 2024 during our test session at COTA.

While he didn’t get a chance to drive the V8 supercar that day, the session, which was designed to replicate the handling and dynamics of Cup and Xfinity cars, led to an official introduction to Image Racing team principal Terry Wyhoon. That connection ultimately paved the way for Love’s Super2 debut. Love didn’t shy away from crediting this journey to the influence of Shane Van Gisbergen, who reshaped his perspective and sparked his desire to compete in Supercars.

He said, “I always wanted to do the V8 thing only because of SVG, really. I didn’t even really know about it until Shane. Again, I like in my free time, I’ll watch sprint car racing, things like that. Didn’t even realize what was going on in Australia other than midget sprint cars. The stuff that Shane does is like magic, right? So, if I can go over there and trial by fire, get my butt kicked, and learn some of that magic that Shane has, it’ll be a huge experience for me.”

This weekend, the 20-year-old driver will be amongst several notable Americans, including NASCAR driver Austin Cindric, who will pilot a Tickford Racing wildcard Mustang in the top-level Supercar field. Their presence at the championship final highlights growing respect and curiosity for Australian motorsport, a momentum strongly fuelled by SVG’s success and his expanding impact on international racing.