It’s the week of the Chili Bowl Nationals. The famed indoor dirt racing event is run on the 1/5-mile oval in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
On Friday night, the event hosted the final preliminary night ahead of Saturday’s finale. Every position matters as 400 drivers are battling to make Saturday’s main event.
Watch the Jesse Love crash video below.
Jesse Love was crowned the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. For 2026, he’ll return to renamed NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driving for Richard Childress Racing.
Love was in the battle on Friday night’s portion of the Chili Bowl Nationals.
Coming off the last corner, Jesse Love and Giovanni Scelzi ran side-by-side for 5th. Just after crossing the finish line, they banged wheels.
The 21-year-old was launched directly into the air. Love flipped three times into turn one. He landed back on all four wheels.
Love has is making his fifth Chili Bowl Nationals attempt. He previously ran the race in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
On Saturday, drivers will race for $20,000-to-win to win plus lap money.
Update: Jesse Love’s car will not race in Saturday’s finale. The team made repairs but they also noted the damage was too extensive and the car would not be right if they raced it.
Chili Bowl Nationals Race Results: January 16, 2026
👀 An insane view on-board with Gio Scelzi as @jesselovejr1 flips at the end of Friday's #ChiliBowl prelim feature pic.twitter.com/UlEqu2UayE
𝐒𝐋𝐎-𝐌𝐎 📹 Jesse Love went for a wild ride after crossing the finish line sixth Friday at the #ChiliBowl. 😲 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/QS2dDgIetE
Jesse Love | Chili Bowl Nationals | NASCAR
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