Following the Daytona 500, the NASCAR Xfinity Series race got underway and ended with Austin Hill winning. The Chevrolet driver started on the front row alongside pole-sitter Jesse Love and romped to victory. It is safe to say that the Daytona International Speedway is a happy hunting ground for the Richard Childress Racing driver. But spare a thought for poor Jesse Love, who had a miserable race.

Love was actually enjoying a great battle for the lead for a while. Unfortunately, things went pear-shaped for him on lap 37, when he was part of a massive crash. John Hunter Nemechek was the linchpin in the incident, as he clipped Love and AJ Allmendinger.

That was enough to send at least 11 cars wrecking and leaving carnage everywhere. On the bright side, Jesse Love was able to recover to finish in 20th place, but he must be wondering what could have been.

Jesse Love was kicking himself for not doing well enough at Daytona

The RCR rookie told Stephen Stumpf of Frontstretch, “I would have liked to have been more aggressive at the end. Just didn’t want to turn a bad day into a terrible day. But when you’re that far back, when anything bad happens, you end up putting yourself in a bad spot, regardless. I’m so proud of my guys, we had a really fast Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro.”

“Just wasn’t our day, so we’ll go to Atlanta and try to be better.”

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Despite the disappointing result, this race must have been encouraging for the 19-year-old. After all, he did snatch pole position for the race, in his first official showing for the team. As he has expressed that he is not afraid of the more experienced drivers, Love will be itching to go racing.

Frankie Muniz Jeopardized at Daytona as Jesse Love & Others Involved in the Big One

On a separate note, he must have been thanking his lucky stars that that crash had not ended his night for good. Instead, he and most of the drivers involved were able to continue, except for Frankie Muniz and Josh Williams.

With the stars aligning for Austin Hill, could Jesse Love put up a challenge at Atlanta?

Austin Hill was all smiles because this win was his third consecutive win at Daytona’s season starter. After finishing the 2023 season in 5th place with four wins, he will now have his eyes on the Xfinity Series title. Last year, he was a picture of consistency, with multiple Top 5 and Top 10 finishes in a row.

What may make things even sweeter, is the fact that the upcoming race at Atlanta is also a track where he won last year. In essence, Hill could be the favorite to win once again. That is unless Jesse Love puts in a strong challenge, as do their other Xfinity Series rivals.

WATCH THIS STORY: Frankie Muniz Jr. Rumored to Join Xfinity Series in 2024