Aussie to drive for NASCAR team of legendary NFL coach

Supercars veteran Jack Perkins will live out a lifelong dream after being tapped by an NFL legend to race for his team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Joe Gibbs, a three-time Super Bowl-winning coach, will have Perkins racing for him at Portland International Raceway in August.

"I started thinking about competing in NASCAR when I first visited the US in 2008 to watch Marcos Ambrose at Sonoma, and be a spotter for Paul Morris," the 38-year-old said.

"It's been a long journey to get here.

"I've come close a few times, but we couldn't quite get all the ducks lined up.

"To do it now with Coach Gibbs and JGR proves you should never give up."

A recommendation by long-time friend and Cup Series crew chief James Small helped pave the path for Perkins.

Small, at the helm of the No.19 Toyota driven by Chase Briscoe, moved to the United States after helping Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards to a Bathurst 1000 crown in 2013 as their engineer.

Perkins, the son of six-time Bathurst 1000 winner Larry Perkins, has enjoyed a long Supercars career and has been successful in the last decade as a co-driver in the Enduro Cup.

He will also contest this year's Bathurst 1000 as co-driver for Blanchard Racing Team's James Courtney.

Perkins follows Triple Eight star Will Brown and Tickford Racing's Cam Waters to have made debuts across the NASCAR categories, with three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen racing the Cup Series full-time.