California Kid to Tackle Busy SLM Schedule With Wimmer
A year after making his Wimmer Motorsports debut at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, Jesse Love reunites with the Wisconsin based Super Late Model team for this year’s weeklong event at New Smyrna Speedway. The 2020 ARCA Menards Series West champ also has a full slate of races with the team throughout the 2021 season driving their No. 21 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry.
“I’m pumped to get to run a ton of Super Late races this year along with everything else I will be running,” Love told Speed51. “I’ve always loved racing them and getting to do it with Chris and the whole Wimmer Motorsports team makes it that much better. We’re going to be going to a lot of really cool racetracks, that I’m really looking forward to. Getting to start it off at New Smyrna, a place where we already had success is going to be great. I can’t wait to see what the whole year has in store for us and the team.”
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to work with Jesse again,” said Wimmer Motorsports Crew Chief and Owner Chris Wimmer. “Jesse is a talented young driver and I am looking forward to not only having him behind the wheel at Speedweeks, but for many events throughout the 2021 season.”
Last year, Love and Wimmer found success at New Smyrna Speedway for the World Series of Asphalt racing. In seven nights, the 16-year-old driver picked up one win and netted six-top five finishes including four podium finishes. Love also laid down the fastest qualifying lap three times.
This year, Wimmer Motorsports crew chief Travis Sauter will call the shots at Speedweeks, with Wimmer at the helm the rest of the year.
“Getting to go back to the World Series in New Smyrna is so cool,” said Love. “We had success there last year and I know I’ve come such a long way since then it makes me look forward to the success that will come this year even more. Last year we had so much raw speed, getting fast time so many of the nights. We had our share of ups and down, but we were able to rebound and head in the right direction. Getting to work with Chris last year helped me a ton; we were always on the same page. I’m really looking forward to being able to pick up where we left off and even better.”
“We were all incredibly impressed with Jesse last year,” said Wimmer. “He was able to get the speed out of the car, get fast time and run up front almost every night. He was a threat to win during almost every race and did a great job taking care of the car and making smart moves. After all the experience he has gained in the last year, we’re all really looking forward to getting back to the track with him behind the wheel.”
With the success in 2020, Love was able to finish third in the overall point standings. That means expectations are high in the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) machine for both Love and the Wimmer Motorsports team heading into this year’s event, which kicks off on Friday, February 5th.
“Last year with the speed we had I was really bummed that we didn’t win the championship. I know it’s something we can do this year and we just have to win a lot of races. My race craft has come a long way since last year and there’s no doubt in my mind that with the great car that the Wimmer team prepares we will be doing great things this year.”
In addition to Speedweeks, you will find Love behind the wheel of the No. 21 Wimmer Motorsports Toyota Camry for several races throughout the year. Schedule highlights include a few trips to Dells Raceway Park, a couple visits with the ARCA Midwest Tour as well as marquee events like Slinger Nationals, Redbud400, All American 400 and Snowball Derby.
“We worked closely with TRD and together built a great schedule with Jesse for the year,” said Wimmer. “Every race we go to will be ultra competitive and give us the opportunity to not only compete against a lot of cars, but quality cars as well. It’s exciting to me to be able to go to the tracks I used to race consistently as well as get him to the big events. I have no doubt that Jesse will learn these tracks quickly and be a key player at every race.”
“There’s so much to be exited about this year working with the Wimmer team,” said Love. “We will be going to some really great racetracks, going to some really big races as well, so that adds excitement. Working with them last year at Speedweeks really provides us with a great foundation coming into this year that I am looking forward to. Having something to build off of when it was already pretty good last year make it even better.”
“Being able to return to Speedweeks really excites me, as well as being able to run Slinger this year, it’s something I’ve wanted to do since I heard about the track and event. But of course, the one I have circled on my calendar is the Derby. I want to win that race to bad and I’m prepared to do it on my first try this year with Chris and the team.”
Along with a full slate of Super Late Model races, Love will also try to win a second straight ARCA Menards West Series title. But a jam packed schedule and driving a slew of different cars is nothing new for the California driver.
“Being able to go from car to car is very cool for me,” said Love. “Being able to run the Super Late along with a lot of ARCA races is going to be awesome. I’ve been jumping from cars to cars my while life, whether it’s dirt to asphalt as well as a road course. I can’t wait to get it all started and implement everything I learned last year into this year. Overall, I’m just really looking forward to getting to victory lane with Chris and the team. I know we will do it and I know I’m going to learn so much working with Chris this year as well.
-Story by: Jana Wimmer, Speed51 Contributor
-Photo credit: Speed51 Photo