After one season in the Trucks, Blaine Perkins will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series on a full-time basis in 2023 when he drives the #07 for SS-Green Light Racing. Kelly Crandall of RACER reported the news on Monday after speaking with Perkins, who along with SSGLR subsequently confirmed the story.
The 2020 ARCA Menards Series West runner-up, Perkins made his Xfinity début in 2021 on an eight-race slate for Our Motorsports with a best finish of thirteenth at Talladega. He moved to the Truck Series with CR7 Motorsports for the full 2022 season and finished nineteenth in points with his highest run and lone top twenty being eighteenth at Nashville. He was CR7’s first full-time driver.
He returned to Our in the second half of 2022 after Brett Moffitt was released from the #02, making five starts. At Martinsville, he scored his first top ten in tenth.
“He’s a really good person,” said Perkins about SSGLR owner Bobby Dotter. “I want to be around the right people, and he’s been in the sport a long time and has a great reputation. Being able to drive for him will be good for me and hopefully good for his race team.”
Perkins replaces Joe Graf Jr., who left the team in December.
SSGLR won for the first time last February with Cole Custer at Fontana. Said win came as part of an alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing that entailed racing with Ford; although SSGLR will still have Fords in 2023, they will begin shifting back towards Chevrolet like they used pre-SHR. The team also has the #08 car.
