Xfinity Series driver Jesse Love is set to make his Australian racing debut in Adelaide, joining Image Racing for the final round of the 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series, an event that was initially expected to feature Kyle Busch.
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Love will pilot the team’s No. 57 Holden Commodore ZB, backed by Whelen Engineering and Richard Childress Racing. With flights booked and a brief pre-event test scheduled ahead of the Adelaide 500 weekend, Love’s debut Down Under marks a long-anticipated crossover moment. However, it was originally Busch’s seat to take.
Back in April 2023, RCR had purchased a plain white VF Commodore V8 Supercar from Image Racing, and two months later, Busch shook it down at Virginia International Raceway. The car, originally built by the Holden Racing Team before passing through Erebus and its Super2 affiliate, Image Racing, became the seed for RCR’s ongoing interest in the Supercars scene.
For Image Racing owner Terry Wyhoon, this deal has been a long time coming. He was on the brink of securing two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Busch for Adelaide two seasons ago, but fell just short. He admitted that he has been trying to put something together for a couple of years, and almost got him to the land down under.
But then busy media commitments kept Busch stateside, derailing the plan. Since then, Wyhoon has kept his eyes peeled for the right fit and found it in Love. According to him, young Jesse is a ripper of a kid, having made it to the Championship Four in Xfinity and set to move up to the Cup Series next year, so Wyhoon ran the idea past him.
Before taking to the streets of Adelaide, Love will complete a short testing program in the Erebus-built ZB Commodore, including a full day at Mallala Motorsport Park, a former Super2 staple, to acclimate to the car and conditions.
BREAKING NEWS @NASCAR_Xfinity ace @jesselovejr1 will join @ImageRacing for a cameo at our season finale in Adelaide!#Super2 pic.twitter.com/iCyTJ4DylZ
— Dunlop Super2 Series (@Dunlop_Series) October 29, 2025
International drivers aren’t new to the Dunlop Super2 Series. Former Grand Tour test driver Abbie Eaton competed in 2019 with Matt Stone Racing, but it won’t be an easy transition for Love. He faces a steep learning curve, adapting to the powerful Supercars machinery while navigating the Adelaide Parklands Circuit during Super2’s only four-day event of the season.
Love’s entry also adds star power to the finale, as he joins Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, who will drive a third Tickford Mustang in the Repco Supercars Championship. Cindric’s participation comes after previous attempts to bring Busch and Kyle Larson to Adelaide in 2024 and 2025 fell through, leaving him and Love to carry the NASCAR flag on Australian soil.
