Getty The No. 07 will have a new driver in 2023.
SS GreenLight Racing has taken care of an important piece of business. The team has signed a new full-time driver for the 2023 Xfinity Series season.
Racer’s Kelly Crandall provided the news on January 9. She spoke to Blaine Perkins, who confirmed that he will be the full-time driver of the No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro during the 2023 season. The team will use engines supplied by Richard Childress Racing.
Perkins will have a veteran presence atop the pit box as he takes on the full Xfinity Series schedule. Mike Hillman Sr. will take over the No. 07 team after working in all three national series during the 2022 season.
Hillman has more than 500 starts as a crew chief across the three national series. He has four wins in the Xfinity Series with Tommy Ellis and two in the Truck Series with Todd Bodine.
Perkins Spent 2022 Competing Full-Time in Another Series
GettyBlaine Perkins waves to fans at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Perkins has some experience in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He made eight starts in 2021 while driving for Our Motorsports, and he posted a season-best finish of 13th at Talladega Superspeedway.
Perkins made some more starts in the Xfinity Series in 2022. He suited up five more times for Our Motorsports, and he secured his first career top-10 finish at Martinsville Speedway.
While Perkins has some experience in the Xfinity Series, he actually spent 2022 competing elsewhere. He drove full-time in the Camping World Truck Series for CR7 Motorsports, and he started 22 of the 23 races. The only exception was the spring race at Martinsville where he failed to qualify in the No. 9 Chevrolet.
The 2022 season did not go as Perkins planned as he failed to finish six races. His best finish in 2022 was an 18th-place run at Nashville Superspeedway. Now he will try to surpass his previous performances while focusing on the Xfinity Series.
This Deal Follows Another Big Update from SS Green Light Racing
The offseason has brought about multiple changes for SS GreenLight Racing. The Bobby Dotter-owned team has parted ways with a full-time driver while bringing Perkins into the fold.
The first big update took place on December 23. Dotter filmed a video for the team’s Twitter account and sent holiday wishes to the fans and supporters. He also revealed that SS Green Light Racing had parted ways with Joe Graf Jr. after three seasons.
“We’ve had three great years with Joe Graf Jr. and his family,” Dotter said in the video. “Can’t say enough for him and how happy I was to work with him and how grateful I am for everything they’ve done for us. But it’s time for some new change, so we’ll be looking at some different drivers next year.”
There were no details at the time about the future plans for SS GreenLight Racing. Dotter didn’t reveal who would replace Graf in the No. 07, nor did he provide updates about sponsor plans.
Now, however, the situation has changed with the news that Perkins will join the fold on a full-time basis. Though SS GreenLight Racing will wait to provide updates about the list of sponsors or any additional drivers.