Joe Gibbs Racing Alters Plans for Highly Anticipated NASCAR Debut 

What’s Happening?

Supercars veteran Jack Perkins will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut earlier than planned. The 38-year-old is now slated to race at the Chicago Street Race.

Perkins was originally slated to drive Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 at Portland International Speedway on Aug. 30. Now, the Supercars regular is moving his start-up to July 5’s The Loop 110 at the Chicago Street Circuit.

According to a post on his Instagram, Perkins was about to board a flight to Darwin, Australia. He then claimed, “I got the call from JGR that they were looking for a driver for the 19 at the only street track on the NASCAR calendar.”

One phone call later, with Shaw and Partners Financial Services stepping up to sponsor the car, Perkins was set for his new NASCAR debut. Perkins’s original debut was announced on May 23, joining a long list of marquee part-time drivers behind the wheel of JGR’s No. 19 car.

Supercars Stars in NASCAR

Perkins is a veteran of the Australian Supercars. Over the past few seasons, NASCAR fans have seen several Supercars drivers make the transition to NASCAR.

Though names like Marcos Ambrose had successfully made the transition in the past, the first in recent seasons was Shane van Gisbergen, who made his NASCAR debut in the inaugural Chicago Street Circuit Cup Series race in 2023 with Trackhouse Racing.

Since that race, in which van Gisbergen walked away with an impressive win, the former Supercars champion has made the full-time switch. Fellow Supercars stars Brodie Kostecki, Will Brown, and Cam Waters made their NASCAR debuts in 2023 and 2024 shortly after van Gisbergen’s win.

This year, Brown is slated to race in the Chicago Street Circuit Cup Series race with Kaulig Racing, while Cam Waters is making a one-off start this weekend with Thorsport Racing at Lime Rock Park.

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