Jack Perkins Misses Out on Portland Podium After Late-Race Mistake
PORTLAND, Ore. — Australian driver Jack Perkins was on the verge of a breakout podium finish in Saturday’s Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway, but a late mistake in the closing laps dropped him out of contention and left him wondering what could have been.
Perkins, making one of his limited NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, positioned himself inside the top five as the race entered its final stretch. With less than 10 laps to go, he looked poised to bring home an impressive third-place finish against a stacked field of road-course specialists.
But Portland’s tricky layout proved unforgiving. Pushing hard to secure the spot, Perkins overcooked a corner and slid wide, costing him valuable track position. By the time he gathered it back up, the top three had slipped away.
“A third-place finish went begging,” Perkins admitted after the race. “I just made a mistake when it mattered most. The car was really good all day, and I’m gutted for the team because they deserved that result. But that’s racing — you’ve got to be perfect to get these kinds of finishes, and I wasn’t.”
Despite the disappointment, Perkins still earned praise for his performance, running competitively all afternoon on a demanding course that has tripped up many veterans. His presence inside the top five for much of the race underscored both his adaptability and his team’s strength on road courses.
The race itself was ultimately dominated by Connor Zilisch, who powered through multiple chaotic restarts to claim his eighth win of the 2025 season. Still, Perkins’ strong showing provided an encouraging glimpse of his potential in stock cars, even if the final result didn’t reflect the effort.
“We’ll take the positives,” Perkins added. “We had the speed to run with the front group, and that’s something we can build on if I get more opportunities here.”
For Perkins, the podium slipped away in Portland — but the performance may have been enough to keep the door open for future chances in NASCAR’s second tier.
