Since Blaine Perkins jumped to the NASCAR national series level in 2021, he has never had a stable job. The California native hopped around between different teams, splitting time between the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.
Perkins has devoted most of his attention to the Xfinity Series, running full time for the last three seasons. He started out with SS Green Light Racing before jumping ship to Our Motorsports two months into the 2023 campaign. Last year, he joined RSS Racing. For 2025, he wanted to take another notch forward by joining Jordan Anderson Racing as the multi-car organization gains notoriety.
“Everyone knows within the garage that this team is definitely rising,” Perkins said of Jordan Anderson Racing. “I want to be a part of that, so that’s one of the big reasons why I wanted to come here. Hopefully, I’ll have a couple of years here and make a home here and continue building the 31 team into a playoff-contending, race-winning team.
“I’m hoping I found a good home here. Seeing what Jeb (Burton) has built here the last couple of years is something I would love to build myself here with the 31 team. It’s been good to work with so many different people throughout the garage, different teams. I’m hoping to settle down now after this year.”
Burton’s No. 27 group is a perennial playoff contender, scoring the team’s first triumph in 2023 at Talladega Superspeedway. Perkins believes a win with the No. 31 team is not far off, as he’s excelled at road courses in 2025. Team owner Jordan Anderson considers him to be the team’s “secret ace” when turning left and right.
Joining a team with more resources has led to a more demanding schedule for Perkins. This is the first year in which he’s spent time on a manufacturer’s simulator. Prior to 2025, he watched YouTube clips and on-board cameras to study the craft.
Perkins’ newest goal is to build an extensive notebook, similar to what Burton has created with the No. 27 team. Given his youthfulness, that’s still a work in progress.
“There has been a little bit of a learning phase as well because nobody drives a car the same,” Perkins added. “They’ve built such a good notebook and figuring out ‘how do we change that to fit my driving style?’ I think we’re finally getting to that point now. It’s something I have never experienced before.”
Anderson enjoys giving young drivers the opportunity to showcase their talent. He started that baseline in 2023, running consecutive seasons with the unproven Parker Retzlaff. The No. 31 car is undoubtedly the best equipment Perkins has competed in at this point of his young career.
“I think it’s been fun watching him because when he came in, it was like when Parker came to us and the unknown,” Anderson said. “The equipment he was in, you never really knew. Giving him the confidence, knowing he has a team behind him and he’s got the cars; they are reliable and he’s getting good pieces every week.
“I think us as a team, we’ve gotten better this year. Rather than just having the 27 and 31 team, we’ve got a lot of shared roles throughout where the same people are building both cars and working closer together. There is more consistency across the board. We’ve cleaned up a lot of things internally that have helped when the cars go to the race track. Every driver is going to have their preferences, but the core of building structure with how the cars are getting put together is the same.”
After three races, Anderson added Cody McKenzie to the No. 31 roster, stepping in as the crew chief. McKenzie has a strong engineering background, which has helped Perkins break down what he needs to be better.
“It’s been fun to watch him grow and his confidence grow over the course of the season and watch him get more aggressive,” Anderson added. “I know when I was coming up and knowing how important the equipment was, and I never really had a fair shake at it. So to have him come in this year and try to help him get better has been fun to step back and watch.”
With 10 races remaining in 2025, Perkins is on pace to set career bests in average start and finishing positions. His two top 10s is already a career high, though he still lacks experience compared to the bulk of the field.
The No. 31 team is striving for top 15s, knowing the depth of the series. Realistically, slotting inside the top 20 is ideal. The biggest challenge for Perkins is knowing how to manage the equipment for the duration of a race.
“There are a lot of guys that deserve good opportunities,” Perkins added. “I’m thankful to be one of those guys just to have an opportunity and to be here.”
The series has an off week before returning to Daytona International Speedway. The following week at Portland International Raceway will mark his 100th series start.