Jesse Love will join Wood Brothers Racing as the driver of the Ford Mustang number 21 in the NASCAR Cup Series starting with the 2027 season. The oldest team in the championship confirmed on Tuesday that Love, the 2025 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, will occupy the seat that Josh Berry will leave vacant at the end of the current year.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

Love was the ARCA Menards Series West champion at 16 years old, the youngest to achieve it, and two seasons later he won the national ARCA title in 2023 with ten victories. Richard Childress Racing promoted him to the silver series in 2024, where he was the Rookie of the Year, and in 2025 he completed the plan by winning the Daytona season opener and the Phoenix finale to beat Connor Zilisch and take the championship at just 20 years old.

Love already has seven Cup Series starts, and his arrival at the No. 21 implies a manufacturer change, as he will move from RCR Chevrolets to the Fords that Wood Brothers prepares with Team Penske specifications. The alliance between both organisations turned the No. 21 into a piece of the Ford driver development programme, and the choice of Love fits that structure.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

"Driving the No. 21 car for Wood Brothers Racing is an honor. This team has played such an important role in NASCAR's history, and the drivers who have sat in that car are some of the greatest our sport has ever seen," said Love in the team's statement. "I'm very grateful to everyone at Wood Brothers Racing, Team Penske and Ford Racing for believing in me. I'm excited to get to work, keep learning from the people around me and compete at the highest level."

Jon Wood, the organisation's president, praised the speed with which Love has achieved results. "He has accomplished a lot at a young age. He has proven he can win races, fight for championships and handle the expectations that come with competing at a high level. We look forward to giving him the opportunity to take the next step in his career with the No. 21 team."

Photo By Carlos Castillo

The departure of Josh Berry in May left the No. 21 vacancy open. Berry joined the team in 2025 and that same season won at Las Vegas to make the playoffs, but was eliminated in the first round. He now sits in 30th place in the championship, and his continuity was not viable. Wood Brothers, which surpassed 100 wins in the top series in 2025, is betting on a reigning silver‑series champion to keep the No. 21 in the conversation.

Love currently sits second in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series standings and will continue competing for the back‑to‑back championship for the remainder of 2026 before aiming for the 2027 Daytona 500, the race that will mark his debut in the No. 21.