Jesse Love will join Wood Brothers Racing to drive its historic No. 21 Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series beginning in 2027, the team announced Wednesday.
Love is the 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion and still competes full-time in that series. With seven Cup starts on his resume, the 21-year-old will make the full-time jump to NASCAR’s highest level next season.
“Words can’t describe what it means to me to realize this dream I’ve had for as long as I can remember,” Love shared in a social media post. “I am so grateful to every single person who has had a hand in my journey from the time I was 5 years old to now. This is for those people who have pushed me and helped me. Thank you to the Wood Brothers, Team Penske, and Ford for their belief in me starting in 2027.”
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Love will replace Josh Berry in the No. 21 car. Berry, a winner in March 2025 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, announced in a Zoom on June 10 he would not return to Wood Brothers Racing after this season.
The No. 21 entry from Wood Brothers is iconic, featuring motorsports greats like David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, A.J. Foyt, Neil Bonnett and Dale Jarrett as drivers who have helped the team amass 101 wins across its many decades in the sport. With assistance from Team Penske, which has a long-standing alliance with the Wood Brothers team, Love will have his chance to add his name to the long list of winners beginning next season.
“Driving the No. 21 for Wood Brothers Racing is truly an honor,” Love said in a release. “This team has played such an important role in NASCAR history, and the drivers who have sat behind the wheel of this car are some of the greatest our sport has ever seen. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone at Wood Brothers Racing, Team Penske and Ford Racing for believing in me — I’m excited to get to work, continue learning from the people around me and compete at the highest level.”
“Jesse has accomplished a lot at a young age,” Jon Wood, president of Wood Brothers Racing, said in a release. “He’s demonstrated the ability to win races, compete for championships and handle the expectations that come with racing at a high level. We’re looking forward to giving him the opportunity to take the next step in his career with the No. 21 team.”
A native of Menlo Park, California, Love earned the ARCA Menards Series West championship in 2020 at age 16 and again in 2021 before earning the national ARCA championship in 2023. Love has competed full-time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for Richard Childress Racing since the beginning of 2024, earning the Rookie of the Year title that season before claiming the title last season. Love has made seven Cup Series starts for RCR as well, earning a best finish of 24th in the 2025 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Love currently sits second in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings, trailing series leader Justin Allgaier by 250 points.
“Richard Childress Racing is appreciative of Jesse Love‘s contributions during his three seasons with our organization and wishes him nothing but success in the future,” a statement from RCR read on X. “Jesse is a talented racer, and we are proud to have played a role in his development into a NASCAR champion. All parties remain aligned and committed to defending the NASCAR O‘Reilly Auto Parts Series championship in 2026.
Additional details regarding the No. 21 team’s plans for the 2027 Cup Series season will be announced at a later date, the team stated.