That’s the tip from Shane van Gisbergen, who scored a memorable victory at the Portland road course last year driving a Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.
The August 30 Portland event is among five road and street courses set to host Xfinity Series races across the next three months.
Mexico City (June 14), Chicago (July 5), Sonoma (July 12) and Watkins Glen (August 9) are all double-headers with the Cup Series, but the top tier is racing at Darlington on the weekend that Xfinity tackles Portland.
That helped create an opening for Perkins to snare a ride in the #19 JGR Toyota Supra, which has had JGR Cup stars Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe among its drivers this season.
Tackling a NASCAR race has been a long-held dream for Perkins, who will be the latest in a string of Aussies set to try his hand in the US.
“He’s a great driver,” van Gisbergen told media at Charlotte of Perkins, who is expected to line up for a 20th career start in the Bathurst 1000 this October.
“He hasn’t done too much [driving] lately but obviously he’ll be in a good car, a Gibbs car.
“Portland, there won’t be too many Cup guys there. I think he’ll surprise a few people.
“On a road course he’ll be pretty good.”
Perkins is currently travelling home from the US following time in the JGR workshop preparing for the event and a trip to Charlotte to watch the weekend’s Cup and Xfinity action.
The trip included simulator testing; an important tool considering he’ll have just one practice session to get used to the Xfinity machine before qualifying and the race.
The 38-year-old is one of a number of Aussie hoping to compete Stateside in the coming months.
As previously reported, Broc Feeney is in talks with Kaulig Racing that could also see him on the grid at Portland, while Will Brown is set for a Cup start with Kaulig at Chicago in July.
Kaulig posted a short teaser video to social media this morning depicting a New Zealand flag being replaced by an Australian version on one of its race cars.
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Cam Waters is also trying to raise funds to return to the US this year having made his Cup debut last July with RFK Racing.
The Ford star’s hopes of a return were complicated by RFK’s expansion to three full-time cars in 2025 and he currently has no confirmed program.
Van Gisbergen meanwhile has plenty of road and street course racing coming up.
He’s set to run the Xfinity races in Mexico, Chicago, Sonoma and Watkins Glen with JR Motorsports, in addition to his Cup Series program with Trackhouse.
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit is new to the Cup Series this year and has not hosted Xfinity since 2008.
“[I’ve] tried some sim lately and it’s pretty cool, challenging track,” said van Gisbergen, who will be one of a host of drivers competing at the venue for the first time.
“There’s lots of technical sections, it’s going to be very difficult. Turn 1 is going to be carnage I think with how NASCAR restarts are.
“The straight is a kay and a half long into a square right, it’s going to be nuts.”
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