Blaine Perkins set to return to Xfinity Series running a Kevin Harvick throwback scheme

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Blaine Perkins is set to return to racing following his horrific crash at Talladega Superspeedway. Perkins missed the following race at Dover because of the crash and will return to the track this Saturday, for the Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway.

Blaine Perkins has decided to honor his fellow Bakersfield, California native Kevin Harvick on his comeback at Darlington. Perkins' #02 Our Motorsports Chevrolet will run the orange-blue PAYDAY paint scheme, paying tribute to Harvick's early career accomplishments.

Alex Neufeld, Senior Associate Manager of the PAYDAY brand, said about the new throwback livery:

"As soon as we heard that Blaine wanted to honor Kevin Harvick’s legacy and the iconic PAYDAY car, we knew we had to be a part of it. PAYDAY candy has been fueling winners for over 90 years and we can’t wait for Blaine to “get to it” and get the victory with PAYDAY."

Kevin Harvick ran the iconic livery in the Busch Series back in 2003. He piloted the Hersheys sponsored #21 PayDay Chevy for Richard Childress Racing, sharing the ride with Johnny Sauter. Harvick scored three victories for the team and finished inside the top 10 in 18 of his 19 starts. He and Sauter led the #21 team to win the owner’s championship that year.

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Blaine Perkins reveals how Kevin Harvick inspired him as a kid

NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 - Qualifying

Blaine Perkins recently stated that he is a fan of Kevin Harvick and has followed his entire career since his childhood. When he got a chance to run a tribute livery, Perkins decided to honor Harvick's achievements in the 2003 Busch Series.

The 23-year-old Xfinity Series driver said:

"When we started talking about throwback options, I really wanted to do a Kevin Harvick theme this year. I grew up racing at a lot of the same short tracks on the west coast where Kevin started. I followed him his whole career and admire all that he has accomplished."

With Harvick's original sponsor, PAYDAY coming on board to sponsor his #02 Our Motorsports Chevy, they decided to run the exact same livery:

"And to have the PAYDAY brand come onboard so that we can run the exact same scheme that Kevin ran 20 years ago is unbelievable!"

Before making its debut on track at Darlington Raceway, the #02 PAYDAY Chevrolet will be on display at the Walmart Super Center on Andover Place in Darlington on Thursday, May 11 between 4-6 pm. Blaine Perkins will be present at the venue to sign limited edition hero cards from 5-6 pm.

Catch Blaine Perkins in the colors of his hometown hero in action in the Shriners Children's 200, on Saturday, May 13, at 1:30 pm EST.