Jesse Love is “Embarrassed” After Losing to Connor Zilisch at Watkins Glen

Connor Zilsich proved yet again he is unbeatable in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Watkins Glen, as he won the event for the third straight year. The victory came at the misery of the Trackhouse Racing drivers’ best friend/enemy Jesse Love, who is defending second division champion.

The Richard Childress Racing No:2 Chevy driver was on the lead on the final lap and was guaranteed get into the victory lane till the final corner, where he gave enough gap on the inside for the JR Motorsports driver to steal the win. The youngster was heartbroken with the loss due to one mistake and admitted his poor decision making gave his friend

When you really nickel and dime it, right, there is a hundred little small mistakes, right, that let him get close. At the end of the day, the glaring piece of it is I had a bad corner. I had a bad corner… I mean, all I want to do is beat Connor here, right. We’re best friends and we’ve caused each other a lot of pain, and I didn’t execute when I needed to.

Jesse Love said after the race.

"We're best friends and we've caused each other a lot of pain."

An emotional @jesselovejr1 reacts after an impressive outing ends up as a runner-up finish to Connor Zilisch. pic.twitter.com/35s5JCtFCd

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) May 9, 2026

Further talking about his poor execution, despite putting in on a lot of work over the recent year to be better at road courses, Jesse Love admitted that he is embarrassed about the result. The youngster was almost in tears when he admitted his mistakes are unacceptable and how he let a lot of people down on Saturday.

I think the reason I’m so quiet is I’m just embarrassed. As a driver, you can’t make those mistakes. It was such a bad mistake, it’s just embarrassing. I know I’ll learn from this and be better because of it, but I let down a lot of people, including myself, most importantly.

Jesse Love asserted.

Connor Zilsich gave everything he has for the win against Jesse Love

On the other hand, Connor Zilisch was over the moon about the hard-earned win. He finished at P1, despite starting the race at P17 and having a significant incident in the pit involving a hit from his Cup teammate Shane van Gisbergen. The Cup rookie on his post-race interview highlighted how hard he worked and admitted that he would not have made the move on Love, if the No:2 car had not run wide on the final turn.

That was [me] driving as hard as I could for all 30 of those laps. Just trying to make up that gap. I wasn’t gonna move Jesse in the last corner there, but he got in deep. I was able to get by. It’s so cool to come back and get my third win at Watkins Glen in a row with [JR Motorsports].

Connor Zilisch said.

"It really means a lot to get another one here and get out of the car safely."

A familiar sight of @ConnorZilisch celebrating at Watkins Glen from @mobil1racing Victory Lane. pic.twitter.com/nf1Fh9zOsY

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) May 9, 2026

Another key factor that makes him happy is the fact that he won three times at the track in the second division with three different crew chiefs. This shows how the win has more to do with his racing prowess than how good the JRM cars were on Saturday.

Cool to get it with [crew chief] Rodney [Childers]. It’s my third different crew chief here. It really means a lot to get another one here and get out of the car safely and make it onto the ground without trying to kill myself.

Connor Zilisch added.

The fight and heartbreak involving the Zilisch-Love duo is going to continue for decades in the NASCAR. Fans are hoping that could witness the duo fighting it out on the in the premier division, with RCR giving the racer a well-deserved promotion. It would be interesting to see how everything is going playout for the young racers in the coming years.

Also Read: Kyle Larson Mocks NASCAR Media For Making His One Year Cup Winless Streak “a Big Deal”