# Jesse Love Wins NASCAR Championship Race

> Jesse Love edges out Sam Mayer by 0.128 seconds to claim his second win and narrow NASCAR championship gap.
- Title: Jesse Love Wins NASCAR Championship Race · Autoweek | Shortify
- Summary: Jesse Love edges out Sam Mayer by 0.128 seconds to claim his second win and narrow NASCAR championship gap. Jesse Love secured a 0.128-second victory over…
- Keywords: jesse love, nascar, oreilly championship, phoenix race, sam mayer, seahawks, nfl, cars, sports, Jesse, Love, Wins
- Source: Autoweek — https://autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a74171332/jesse-love-blows-open-nascar-oreilly-championship
- Author: Deb Williams
- Published: 2026-10-18T20:36:59+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: jesse love, nascar, oreilly championship, phoenix race, sam mayer, seahawks, nfl, cars, sports
## Race Results
Jesse Love won the Phoenix race by 0.128 seconds over Sam Mayer for his second win this season.
## Championship Standings
Love leads the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase by 36 points over Justin Allgaier with 59 points separating top four drivers.
## Sheldon Creed's Issue
Sheldon Creed's car malfunctioned during Stage 1 after 45 laps, dropping him to fourth place in the standings.
## Love's Championship Strategy
Love needs to close the gap to 25-30 points before the Homestead finale to win the series championship.
## Love's Past Success
Love won last year's series championship at Phoenix and is moving to the Cup Series in 2027.
## Key takeaway

Jesse Love secured a 0.128-second victory over Sam Mayer at Phoenix to move within one point of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship.