Jesse Love started the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season on a strong note by winning the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. Since that trip to Victory Lane in February, the 20-year-old driver has been solid with five top 10s in the next eight races heading into Saturday’s race at Rockingham Speedway and the first time the series had raced at the track since 2004.

During NASCAR’s much-anticipated return to The Rock, the Richard Childress Racing driver looked strong throughout the race, and more importantly, survived, in what turned out to be a battle of fuel strategy and attrition with 15 cautions, including a couple of red-flag delays in the final 10 laps.

On the overtime restart, Love started in the second row on the inside behind Sammy Smith and going into the first turn moved the No. 8 up the track and surged out into the lead. In the final trips around the mile-long circuit, the No. 2 driver stayed out in front and crossed the finish line first to record his second win of the 2025 campaign.

Or so everyone thought.

Hours later NASCAR announced that Love had failed post-race inspection and been disqualified for a rear suspension violation. Smith, who finished second, was declared the winner.

A short time after the announcement, Love responded to the news on social media.

“Good thing my house has a safe,” he wrote on X, including an emoji of a trophy, suggesting he wouldn’t be giving back his race-winning hardware.

Love and his fellow Xfinity Series competitors return to racing action April 26 at Talladega. Race coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET on The CW.