Australian Supercars veteran Jack Perkins to make NASCAR debut at Portland

Jack Perkins, 38, has over 150 starts in Australian Supercars, winning the 2015 Gold Coast 600 Race #2 as a co-driver to James Courtney. He is a veteran of 19 Bathurst 1000s, earning a podium result there in 2019. His father, Larry Perkins, is a six-time winner of the iconic event.

The third-generation racer will now try something new, by following several of his Supercars brethren to the states to have a go at NASCAR. Perkins has secured a deal to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Portland on August 30th, driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra. Shaw and Partners Financial Services will fund the effort.

He has already visited the JGR shop in Huntersville, North Carolina for a seat fitting and to take some laps in the Toyota simulator. Perkins will be a guest of the team for Memorial Day Weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

A dream come true

“This is a long-held dream come true for me, and I am so excited about driving in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series for the legendary Joe Gibbs,” said Perkins in a release.
 
“I started thinking about competing in NASCAR when I first visited the U.S. in 2008 to watch Marcos Ambrose at Sonoma, and be a spotter for Paul Morris, who was contesting an ARCA West race the same weekend.

“It’s been a long journey to get here. I’ve come close a few times, but we couldn’t quite get all the ducks lined up. To do it now with Coach Gibbs and JGR proves you should never give up.”

Perkins is a good friend of James Small, a Bathurst 1000-winning engineer who currently works as a crew chief in the Cup Series with Chase Briscoe. Perkins credited Small for helping put this deal together.

It’s a trend. There has been an influx of Supercars talent wanting to try out NASCAR, especially since Shane van Gisbergen won a Cup race on debut in 2023 when he entered the Chicago Street Course race. 2023 Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki, 2024 Supercars champion Will Brown, as well as Cam Waters have all ventured over in recent years. SVG now competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series with Trackhouse, competing for Rookie of the Year honors against Riley Herbst.