Blaine Perkins has returned home after being hospitalised over the weekend for a violent wreck in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
The crash began on lap 49 when Perkins was clipped by a spinning Dexter Stacey exiting turn two. Perkins went around in front of Jade Buford before his #02 car went airbourne and landed on its roof, followed by barrel rolling multiple times before landing back on his wheels.
He got out of the car on his own before being taken to the UAB Hospital in nearby Birmingham, Alabama, for further evaluation. According to his family, he was “alert” and “in good spirits” during his stay before being discharged on Sunday evening.
“I’m back home in North Carolina and recovering nicely,” began a statement from Perkins released Monday. “I wanted to express my gratitude to everyone for their support. To my team at Our Motorsports, thank you for building safe race cars.
“To NASCAR and the AMR Safety Crew, thank you for being on it so quickly. To the staff at UAB University Hospital, thank you for taking such good care of me and being so hospitable to my family during my stay. And most importantly, to the NASCAR fans, you are the greatest fans in the world. Your thoughts and prayers were very much appreciated!
“I can’t wait to be back behind the wheel of the No. 02 again soon!”
Talladega was Perkins’ third start of the year for Our Motorsports, having joined the team at Richmond after his rookie season with SS-Green Light Racing was abandoned following a difficult start to the year. He made his Xfinity début in 2021 with Our, running twelve more races for the team over the next two years (with 2022 being in conjunction with a full campaign in the Truck Series).
Kyle Weatherman is scheduled to drive the #02 in Saturday’s race at Dover.