NASCAR
Jesse Love Wins at Gateway, 2 Takes O’Reilly Chase Race Two
MADISON, Ill. – A marathon 180 laps around World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway saw an O’Reilly Series race to remember. Reigning series champion Jesse Love finally broke back into victory lane, his first triumph since the title-winning drive last fall. All around him though, almost every other contender ran into an issue of some kind. When the dust settled, a new man found his way atop the championship. RCR’s 2 crew now has less than a week to celebrate, as The Chase is in full swing for Saturday’s best.
From the pole, Carson Kvapil’s No. 1 stayed in position one for all of Stage 1. This opening sting did end with a vey scary moment on pit road, when Rajah Caruth was turned sideways ahead of traffic. All exposed crew members here were thankfully uninjured, but this incident did end the night for a few drivers.
Scary scene on pit road with multiple cars involved in a big crash. pic.twitter.com/LRfyydLNAk
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) September 13, 2026
Still under caution, points leader Justin Allgaier also pitted from third-place to tighten a loose wheel. Stage 2 would eventually go to Jesse Love after a late pass on Kvapil. The reigning champion in the RCR No. 2 looked unbeatable out front, soon building a three-second lead over the field. The 2 did stumble on a restart just shy of 40 laps left, but never drifted far back from Kvapil’s bumper.
This stint also saw tempers flare again between Corey Day and William Sawalich. While racing for position inside the top-10, both drivers made contact that sent the No. 17 spinning. These two have a year-long history of getting into each other, including last week in Darlington. Day would be relegated to a 33rd-place finish following this crash.
😬😬😬 pic.twitter.com/dXKm2fjLJw
— NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (@NASCAROReillyAP) September 13, 2026
Love would storm back to the 1’s inside with 16 laps left, and made the winning pass stick. Now a winner in 2026, Love draws to within eyesight of the points lead after Chase race two.
“I guess we had to put ’em on the dash,” Love said. “So proud of our crew, my pit crew, my whole Whelen Engineering team, Chevrolet, Wise Optimization. Everybody is so involved in repeating the championship this year. It’s been really hard, but I know that if I just keep my grind, my tenacity, my work ethic, and improve it all, then eventually one of these opportunities is gonna be there. I’m gonna freaking take it, we freaking did it!”
“Man I love St. Louis. I got my first National Midget win across the street with Chad Boat. I made my first Truck start here too. Got beat here last year, but we had a good car. So proud of my team, want to give all the glory to God for putting so many great people in my life. Man, I’m just so grateful.”
Behind Love at the finish were: Sheldon Creed, Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray, and Carson Kvapil. Pitting late for damage repair set points leader Justin Allgaier back, but he rebounded to finish 13th. By virtue of finishing second, Darlington winner Sheldon Creed takes the top spot from Allgaier by a slim margin.
Updated @NASCAROReillyAP Chase standings after Gateway, with Bristol on deck Friday night as Chase race 3. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/rt6GOLqFmf
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) September 13, 2026
The O’Reilly Series Chase roars onward Friday night from Bristol Motor Speedway. The Food City 300 goes green at 7:30 p.m. ET on The CW, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. With a lot at stake on The World’s Fastest Half-Mile, the third stop on O’Reilly’s title path could be the craziest yet.
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter/X
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter/X
Photo Credit to Chris Graythen/Getty Images
