In the final stretch of the 2025 NASCAR season, the organization rolled out a fresh initiative designed to spotlight the sport’s next generation. NASCAR announced RISING, a multi-part YouTube documentary series pulling back the curtain on three emerging stars, Jesse Love, Carson Hocevar, and Rajah Caruth. The series will offer an intimate look at how these young drivers have built their names both on and off the track, hoping to bridge the gap between fans and the sport’s future faces.
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And it seems Love and fellow driver Connor Zilisch are taking that mission personally as well. Ready to premiere Monday, November 17, RISING will give fans an all-access pass to the highs, lows, and raw emotions behind the wheel. Love admitted that the cameras captured more than he expected.
“The fans get such a behind-the-scenes look that there are some things I was like, ‘Oh, people are going to hate that I said that or did that.’ And I’m just, but you, you know, you want to, you know, be, I guess, authentic, right? And show them every part of yourself,” he explained.
For Love, that connection is more than just lip service. He’s been deliberate about engaging with supporters, particularly through social media. “Twitter is probably the best platform to do it,” he said, noting how he tries to stay in touch with fans directly.
“I think that me, Raj and Carson all like want the fan base to see like another side to ourselves and want to like grow the fan base, too, right? So, I’m obviously somebody that’s like very in tune with like the fans, right? “
That digital presence mirrors his real-world efforts, like when he and Zilisch wandered through the fan zone at Charlotte during the Roval weekend. They weren’t there as racers that day but as fans themselves, walking the grounds, shaking hands, and soaking in the atmosphere that fuels their sport.
Love believes the young generation of drivers must meet fans halfway. Though he joked about dreading certain clips that made it into RISING, he acknowledged that the imperfections and unfiltered moments are what make the connection real. Authenticity is what keeps people invested, he said.
After its YouTube debut, RISING will shift to television, with FOX Sports airing the series on FS1 starting in December as part of a special five-week programming run. The network plans to use the show as a lead-in to its 2026 NASCAR coverage, topping with the DAYTONA 500 broadcast on February 15.
