Following a last-minute deal made while flying at 36,000 feet to Australia’s top end, Supercars veteran driver Jack Perkins will now make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut for three-time Super Bowl-winning coach Joe Gibbs on the streets of Chicago next weekend – the July 4th weekend.
Perkins announced in May that he would debut with Gibbs’ championship-winning Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR team in late August, driving JGR’s #19 Shaw and Partners Financial Services Toyota Supra in the Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway.
But while boarding his flight from Melbourne to Darwin for the Darwin Triple Crown last Friday, Perkins received a message from JGR offering him the seat for the Chicago Street Race event.
“I was ready to settle in for a quiet flight, but JGR’s message quickly changed that,” Perkins said.
“It took me years to finally put together the Portland deal, and now here I was with an opportunity to race in Chicago next weekend, with an offer that required an answer in just a few hours, and I’m boarding a four-hour flight to Darwin.”
Coincidentally, Shaw and Partners Financial Services CEO Earl Evans, Perkins’ major supporter and co-owner of the Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Red Bull Ampol Supercars team, was boarding a Darwin-bound plane in Sydney, so Perkins made the first call.
“Jack called and said he had something for me to ponder for the next four hours. I told him I don’t ponder; I make decisions, so when he revealed the opportunity, it was too good to turn down,” Evans said.
‘If Jack weren’t capable, we wouldn’t be on board, but he is a highly successful driver and a great ambassador for our business. We are in for Portland, but Chicago is a far bigger occasion, so I told Jack we’re in for Chi-town, too, and to call JGR back and make the arrangements.
“It’s super cool we can support Jack’s dream.”
Thanks to modern telecommunications and Wi-Fi availability on planes, Perkins spent the entire four-hour flight to the top end communicating with JGR and other sponsors via email and SMS to confirm the details.
“I can’t believe how quickly it all came together. I am so thankful to everyone who immediately stopped to hear me out and jump on board for Chicago,” Perkins said.
“Essentially, it’s a high-flying deal made at 36,000 feet. It’s so 21st century and bloody exciting.”
Automotive and motorsport design legend Peter Hughes has produced a spectacular livery for the July 4th long weekend event.
The design will adorn the #19 Shaw and Partners Financial Services Toyota Supra, paying tribute to Australia’s long-standing relationship with the United States.
It will feature the Australian flag on both sides of the car, with the US stars and stripes running across its top from front to back.
Longtime backers Shaw and Partners Financial Services, Southern Cross Truck Rentals, TLC Auto Centre, ARB Penrith, and Muscle Car Warehouse remain onboard.
Xpress Fleet, ACL, Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes, Interior Projects by Vereker, and Veracity Media have also signed on to support Perkins.
“To get the call up from JGR is very special. I am so grateful for the opportunity presented to me, and I am also extremely thankful to Earl Evans and Shaw and Partners Financial Services,” Perkins said.
“To be representing them at one of NASCAR’s flagship events, the Chicago Street Race, along with SCTR, Xpress Fleet, ACL, Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes, Interior Projects by Vereker, and Veracity Media, is just amazing.”
Evans will travel to Chicago to support Perkins, accompanied by his 14-year-old son Jourdan.
Practice starts on Saturday, 5 July at 9:30 AM (12:30 AM, Sunday, 6 July AEDT), with qualifying following soon after at 10:30 AM (1:30 AM AEDT).
The Loop 110 race starts on Saturday, 5 July, at 3:30 PM (6:30 AM, Sunday, 6 July, AEDT). It will be screened live in Australia on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.