Fresh off clinching the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series title at Phoenix, Jesse Love became the youngest NASCAR Xfinity Series champion in history. And after achieving this historic milestone, Love wasted no time in chasing new horizons.

The 20-year-old California native, who drives the No. 2 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing, turned his gaze to Australia’s high-octane Supercars scene.

Love reached Australia for his Super2 Series debut at the Adelaide Grand Final. Being a newcomer in a supercar, the testing experience hit him like nothing before. Yet, Love tackled it well, only to be shocked by the Australian countryside experience.

Jesse Love’s shocking first Australian impression

Stepping into the Adelaide spotlight as the first American in Super2 history, Jesse Love arrived oozing with energy after winning the championship. But his recent X post captured the raw edge of culture shock right away:

“Everything is bigger in Texas. Yeah buddy, come to Australia, where the mosquitos are the size of your fist and everything wants to eat you alive. Send help.”

This lighthearted jab at Australia’s daily routine came just days into his trip. Love echoed Australia’s wildlife reputation, where some species of mosquitoes can be up to half an inch in size. But certainly they’re not the size of a fist, as that was an exaggeration by the No. 2 driver to capture the essence well.

Visitors can live with large mosquitoes, but water bodies filled with crocodiles have long spooked visitors.

Love, who was raised in California, where people get terrified of even small bugs, for him, this Australian ecosystem landed like a curveball. He recently won the title by fending off challengers like Connor Zilisch, and now joked about being in survival mode for off-the-track life.

But amidst the terror, Love also commented about the local foods that impressed him the most.

“To all the Aussies, so far I’ve tried- shapes, burger rings, Tim Tams, the coffee, chicken parma, and the best… dim sims.”

These snacks became his favorite things in Australia, amidst those terrifying mosquitoes and animals.

Coming back to his debut, Love’s test ride at Mallala sharpened his road-course edge by committing to right-foot braking, which is one of Supercars’ unique demands.

Love’s fondness for this supercar debut stemmed from a deep respect for Shane van Gisbergen, the Kiwi star whose road course wins made the NASCAR driver look into this supercar series.

As Love put it, “So when me, and Shane got close and we became good friends, we started looking into it. I thought there was so much for me to learn here, and the stuff that Shane does is like magic. If I can go over there and trial by fire, get my butt kicked, and learn some of that magic that Shane has, it will be a huge experience for me.”

SVG’s seamless shift from Supercars dominance to NASCAR road courses, where he snagged six wins in road courses, with five coming along this season, lit the enthusiasm in Love’s heart. Love, who bonded with SVG over shared races and now eyes those “magic” techniques for his own growth.

But amid these ongoing career-centric things, Love experiences an unexpected cab drive in his hometown that made him a fan of a driver that no one saw coming.

A cab ride that stole the show

Love’s adventures aren’t confined to ovals or Supercar stints. Talk about a wild night in New York City, where a simple birthday dinner turned into a masterclass from an unlikely pro.

Love and his girlfriend were fifteen minutes late for a party when they booked a yellow cab from the street. The cab driver, a quiet force behind the wheel, drove like a seasoned oval king, dodging horns and near misses to drop them off five minutes early. For Love, fresh from Xfinity battles, it was pure admiration from his heart for the driving skills of the cab driver.

“He got us there five minutes before our reservation. And I don’t think we hit anybody, but we might have. And he was probably the best driver I’ve ever seen in my life,” Love later marveled, recalling the aggressive driving skills that the cab driver showed on the busy streets without hitting anybody.

This anonymous driver outshone pros that Love races weekly, prompting his bold take:

“When I leave the No. 2 car and go to the Cup Series, I think he probably needs to drive my car. He was probably the best driver I’ve ever seen in my life.”

For Love, who has seen many greats on the track but still calls a cab driver the best, this is the utmost respect a cab driver can get in his cab-driving career, which will weigh more than any amount of money.

This experience of Love also highlighted everyday heroes who do not get the limelight for the things they do. But Love’s compliment must have changed the world for that driver, and who knows, one day a fan might see that driver as Love’s personal chauffeur in the near future.