Jesse Love will make the full-time jump to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027, driving Wood Brothers Racing's iconic No. 21 Ford, the team announced on Wednesday. The move installs the 2025 Xfinity Series champion in one of the sport's most storied seats and fills the vacancy left by the departing Josh Berry.
“Driving the No. 21 for Wood Brothers Racing is truly an honor,” Love said in a team 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.”
The 21-year-old from Menlo Park, California, currently leads a full-time Xfinity program for Richard Childress Racing and sits second in the standings behind Justin Allgaier. He will leave RCR at the end of the season, a move that also brings a manufacturer switch from Chevrolet to Ford.
Love posted his reaction on social media. “Words can't describe what it means to me to realise this dream I've had for as long as I can remember,” he wrote. “The dream might have been mine, but the work was everybody's.”
Wood Brothers Racing president Jon Wood said the team had seen plenty of upside in its new signing. “Jesse has accomplished a lot at a young age,” Wood said in a statement. “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.”
The No. 21 is among NASCAR's most decorated entries. Wood Brothers Racing, founded in 1950 by Glenn Wood in Stuart, Virginia, is the premier series' longest-running active team and passed 100 Cup wins during the 2025 season. Its driver roster reads as a who's who of the sport — David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, A.J. Foyt, Neil Bonnett and Dale Jarrett among them — while more recently Ryan Blaney drove for the team before moving to Team Penske, with whom Wood Brothers holds a long-standing technical alliance. Love has made seven Cup starts to date, with a best finish of 24th in the 2025 Brickyard 400.
The signing carries an Australian subplot. Love had indicated a desire to return to Australia after a guest outing with Image Racing in Adelaide, but the move to Ford machinery complicates that picture: Image Racing campaigns Chevrolet equipment, leaving any Adelaide return in doubt.
Love's rise has been rapid. He became the youngest champion in ARCA Menards Series West history at 16, won the 2023 national ARCA title with 10 wins from 20 races, then claimed Xfinity Rookie of the Year in 2024 and the championship in 2025, defeating close friend Connor Zilisch in the Phoenix finale. Wood Brothers said further details on the No. 21 team's 2027 plans would follow.
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