Love won only two races in the year, the first race at Daytona and the last race at Phoenix. Love was the only car that JR Motorsports did not own.

“I get a big old trophy. I get a nice check. I get a lot of things that come out of this,” Love said.

This is the fourth NASCAR championship Love has won, but the first in the Xfinity Series. He won the 2023 ARCA Menards Series championship, along with the 2020 and 2021 ARCA Menards Series West championships.

Despite not winning the championship and finishing third, Connor Zilisch had arguably the best season. He won 10 of 33 races and finished in the top five in 22 of them. He led over 1,000 laps on the season as well.

“It doesn't take away from anything we've done this year,” an emotional Zilisch said. “I feel like we've done the best job we could all year long, we just didn't have it today.”

Zilisch led at points, but did not have the car to compete with Love at the end. His third-place performance was good enough to win Rookie of the Year. The well-heralded prospect moves to the Cup series next season.

Defending Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier finished fifth in the race, placing him third in the championship. Allgaier led a portion of the race but felt he did not have the car on the final run. 

Allgaier had a solid season in his title defense, leading over 1,000 laps with 16 top fives and 21 top tens. He will return to JR Motorsports next season, but without crew chief Jim Pohlman.

“I'm bummed because I wanted to send a Jim off with a championship,” Allagier said. “JR Motorsports as a whole didn't win an owner or a driver championship with three out of the four (cars), so that's super frustrating.”

The lone championship contender that did not run near the front was Carson Kvapil. He finished 13th in what was a solid rookie season. The North Carolina native will return to JR Motorsports in 2026.

Aric Almirola finished second, winning the owner’s championship for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 car. Justin Bonsignore, Riley Herbst, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Jack Perkins also ran races in the car. 

“I'm a little part in this, but um I'm very thankful for everybody and I'm very happy and proud for everybody at JJR (Joe Gibbs Racing),” Ty Gibbs said. “JJR is one family.”

Polesitter Brandon Jones led a handful of laps and finished fourth. Jones revitalized his career at Gibbs with a fifth-place result in the championship, coming off two seasons where he missed the playoffs.

Ryan Sieg had a solid run in place of the suspended Sam Mayer before it ended early after he spun off of Christian Eckes’ front bumper and crashed into the wall.

Chevrolet had a dominant season in the Xfinity series as all four cars in the Championship 4 and the make won 26 of the 33 races. Chevy has now won the last nine Xfinity Series Manufacturers' Championships.

“He's like my kid,” Love’s crew chief, Danny Stockman, said. “What I love about that kid is that he's hard on me and I'm hard on him, but it's all for a common goal.”

Love’s car in the beginning ran in the back half of the top ten for the first half of the race. It came alive at the beginning of stage three. 

This was the first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship for Richard Childress since 2019, when Tyler Reddick won. Stockman was Austin Dillon’s crew chief in 2012 and 2013 when Dillon won Rookie of the Year and the Championship the next year. Love was last season’s Rookie of the Year.

“The kid eats, sleeps race cars,” Stockman said. “But I don't have to teach him how to study anything; he does it himself.”