How Jesse Love’s Return to the Chili Bowl Happened Thanks to Alex Bowman and His Crew Chief

This week, several NASCAR drivers surfaced in the dirt of Tulsa for the Chili Bowl Nationals. While bigger NASCAR drivers like Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson have become familiar names in that arena, reigning NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love returned to his roots by competing in the 40th running of the event.

At 21, Love is driving a Midget car owned by Hendrick Motorsports’ Blake Harris, who serves as Alex Bowman’s crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series. The attempt marks Love’s fourth Chili Bowl appearance, dating back to 2021. He has yet to reach the championship finale in his previous three attempts, with his top performance being a 13th-place run in a B-Main in 2021.

Before his NASCAR ascent, Love cut his teeth racing on dirt tracks across the country.

Discussing his ties to Bowman, Lovedetailed in an interview with FloRacing how the partnership with Harris came together. He said, “Obviously, been with Chad, been with Keith, and I’ve been working out with Alex Bowman a little bit over the last few years, so kind of always talked about Chili Bowl. I know that he loves this race probably more than anything.”

Love previously competed in the prestigious Midget event thrice between 2021 and 2024. He sat out the 2025 edition but attended as a fan, admitting it was difficult to watch from the sidelines. To make his 2026 return a reality, Love received a key assist from Bowman.

Bowman, who fields cars at the Chili Bowl each January, connected Love with crew chief Blake Harris. “Basically he told me that Blake bought a car, and about six, maybe eight months ago, he was telling me that he might refer me to Blake, and then, yeah, he did, and then Blake hit me up a couple months ago now,” Love explained.

“And then a couple weeks ago, he sat in the car and kind of got everything buttoned away. And here we are, so kind of a weird way how it all came through. Something I didn’t expect to be doing was racing the Chili Bowl this year.”

Since stepping out of his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Xfinity car, Love has spent his offseason racing on dirt in sprint cars. He traveled to Australia to drive a Super2 car in conjunction with the Repco Supercars Championship in Adelaide, where November aligns with summer.

Now, ahead of his return to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Love finds himself back at the Chili Bowl. He admitted that the constant schedule has taken a toll, but he is working to balance the grind and manage the burnout so he can keep moving forward without needing prolonged breaks.

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