Jesse Love’s bid for a strong finish at the 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals ended dramatically Friday night dramatically at Tulsa’s SageNet Center. Jesse suffered a violent crash just past the finish line, flipping end-over-end after hard contact with Giovanni Scelzi.
Love walked away from the wreck and later told fans he was “okay,” but he confirmed he would not return for Saturday’s B-Main due to severe car damage and safety concerns.
Jesse Love’s Wild Ride Ends in Chaos
After starting deep in the field, he surged forward, passing car after car to secure a sixth-place finish in the preliminary feature. But as the checkered flag waved, Love’s No. 2 Toyota tangled with Scelzi off the final corner of the tight 1/5-mile dirt track.
Love’s car launched, flipping multiple times as debris scattered, before landing upright. Medical staff quickly evaluated Love and cleared him at the scene. Officials temporarily halted the event to ensure his safety, and the crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief as Love climbed out under his own power and spoke with safety crews.
😳 @jesselovejr1 flips after the checkered in the A-Main on Friday night at the 🌶️🥣! pic.twitter.com/Z4FjwBVv4D
— NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) January 17, 2026
Jesse Love said he is fine after Friday night’s crash, noting he drove through the field before the incident and is now focused on recovery while hoping to stay more active in dirt racing this year.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out. I’m okay. We drove through the field on Friday night and crashed at the line. My body is gonna recover. I’m just more upset than anything now. Grateful for the opportunity with Blake & hopefully I can stay more current this year on the dirt.” Love posted an update on social media.
Team Faces Tough Decision After Crash
Saturday’s B-Main was no longer in play for Love. Team owner and NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Blake Harris broke the news to FloRacing, citing damage the crew simply couldn’t safely fix.
“The car was pretty hurt from last night, but it was swift,” Harris said. “I thought Jesse did an excellent job driving up through the field. We felt like we were going to have a shot to get locked into the A, and even with where we were going to finish, we still had a chance to transfer out of the B tonight. So it’s really disappointing.”
After the race, the team discovered the damage was far worse than expected. “We went back and looked at it, and it wasn’t just cosmetic damage,” Harris explained. “There was a lot of damage to the nose. The guys welded it back on, but this isn’t like NASCAR, where you can roll another car off the transporter. Here, you’ve got to use the same car you start with.”
Despite their best efforts, the crew couldn’t make the car race-ready. “Once we dug into it more, there was extensive damage. The way the car ran and the pace we had yesterday kind of told the story. When it’s done, it’s done.” Harris ultimately decided to park the car for safety. “There wasn’t going to be anything right about trying to go back out there today. So we’ll move on, rebuild, and make sure we come back with a bullet.”
Harris praised Love’s heart and talent throughout their first Chili Bowl together. “This was my first time working with Jesse on any of this stuff, and he did a heck of a job. We had a lot of fun building this car with Alex over the winter. He was right there with us all day.”
Jesse Love’s Chili Bowl Nationals Ends in Wild Crash