Aric Almirola celebrates. Image: Supplied
Joe Gibbs Racing’s #19 team took out the Xfinity Series owners’ championship courtesy of a second place finish for Aric Almirola at the finale in Phoenix, Arizona.
Perkins was one of seven drivers to pilot the #19 Toyota Supra through the 33-race season, having made cameos at Chicago in July and Portland in August.
Almirola ran a total of 17 races, while Justin Bonsignore (seven), Riley Herbst (4), Christopher Bell (1), Chase Briscoe (1) and Ty Gibbs (1) also co-starred.
JGR made a point of publicly recognising all who contributed while also reaching out directly to Perkins, who watched the finale from his home near Melbourne.
“A few of my mates are giving me a bit of shit about claiming a part of a NASCAR owners’ championship, but it’s pretty cool,” Perkins told Speedcafe.
“They had a heap of different drivers in that car this year and when they put the graphic up with all the signatures next to it, to have my name there was pretty neat.
“I’m just happy for the whole crew. I got to spend a lot of time with those guys and girls this year, and the crew chief and the car chief messaged me to say I was part of it.
“It’s quite a nice feeling.”
Perkins now has a somewhat unique double, having also been part of Erebus Motorsport’s Supercars teams’ championship title in 2023.
The 39-year-old described his deal to race with JGR this year as a dream come true, securing the seat following an introduction from friend and Cup Series crew chief James Small.
Perkins initially brought together a group of backers to race at Portland and then also received a late call-up for Chicago when Ty Gibbs elected to focus on his Cup Series efforts.
While the races did not play out as hoped, Perkins impressed with his speed at both venues and was in contention to win late in the Portland race.
Jack Perkins in the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra at Portland International Raceway.
It appears unlikely Perkins will return to the #19 Supra next year, as JGR is widely tipped to run 17-year-old Toyota prodigy Brent Crews in the entry for the bulk of the season.
Perkins, however, is hopeful of finding more opportunities.
“I’d love to do something there next year,” Perkins said of a potential return Stateside.
“The Supercars calendar only just came out in the last week, so that’s obviously the first issue for a lot of guys trying to do NASCAR races.
“Now the NASCAR season is over, the teams will be busy trying to fill up their seats for next year.
“A lot of work goes into it behind the scenes, so I’ll have to make a few phone calls and keep talking to the right people and see what happens.
“If it doesn’t happen, I’m still really grateful for the opportunity.”
Like the drivers’ titles, NASCAR’s owners’ championships are decided by a knock-out Playoffs system.
Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love won the Xfinity drivers’ title and is set to head to Australia later this month to contest the Adelaide Super2 Series finale with Image Racing.
One NASCAR star out, another in for Adelaide Grand Final
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