Ryan Ellis has inked a multi-year deal with Alpha Prime Racing and drive for the organization, beginning in the 2027 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.
The 36-year-old Ellis from Torrance, California, is currently campaigning with Young’s Motorsports in the O’Reilly division. He is currently ranked in 27th place in the 2026 driver’s standings with a single top-10 result, that being a sixth-place result during this year’s season-opening event at Daytona International Speedwat, and an average-finishing result of 27.1 through 29-scheduled starts.
Ellis’ move to Alpha Prime Racing next season will mark a reunion for the driver and organization, with Ellis having previously competed with Alpha Prime Racing from 2022 to 2024. He made a combined 75 starts with the organization in a three-year span, including the entire 33-race schedule in 2024 as he proceeded to notch a career-best 23rd-place result in the standings.
“I’m incredibly excited to be back at Alpha Prime Racing,” Ellis said. “This team has been a massive part of my NASCAR career. The last time we were together, my NASCAR career grew from a few races each season to competing full time in NASCAR, something I thought I’d never get the chance to do. My first handful of races with Alpha Prime Racing were ones that I will never forget. I felt like I was given a massive opportunity back then, and I feel the same way about this opportunity five years later.”
“There’s a ton of positive momentum at Alpha Prime Racing right now,” Ellis added. “Not only with the speed they show each week, but also the way they’re positioning for the future. The opportunity with Ford made it even more enticing to return to my first NASCAR ‘home,’ and a multi-year deal lets us build our team and program the right way, creating value for our partners on and off the track over multiple seasons. I’m very familiar with their group, and I feel like I gel really well with the way their cars drive. That’s a huge part of this decision. I think the familiarity will help us get off to a fast start and show that speed consistently year after year.”
Ellis, a former Virginia State Legends Pro and NASA SU National champion, made his first O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career start at Road America with Hamilton Means Racing in June 2012. Since then, the Californian has made a total of 193 series’ starts over 14 years and with 14 organizations, including Young’s Motorsports and Alpha Prime Racing. Ellis made select O’Reilly starts from 2012 to 2023, where he notched 18 top-20 results. Since becoming a full-time O’Reilly competitor in 2024, he recorded 19 top-20 results, including a career-best sixth-place result at Daytona in February 2026 and an eighth-place run at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2025. His best average-finishing result throughout a full O’Reilly campaign is 23.7, which occurred in 2024. During the latter season, he also led a career-high 11 laps.
Ellis will have sponsorship support from Tablo TV that will include a 10-race primary sponsorship appearance next season. He is Alpha Prime Racing’s first full-time competitor announced for the 2027 season as the organization prepares to switch manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford while receiving engine support from Roush Yates Racing.
“Ryan has a strong history with Alpha Prime Racing, and we’re excited to welcome him back as we continue building for the future,” Jusan Hamilton, President of Alpha Prime Racing, said. “He understands what it takes to compete at this level, but just as importantly, he understands the value of building lasting relationships with partners. As we prepare for our transition to Ford in 2027, having Ryan return on a multi-year agreement brings valuable experience, continuity and a strong commercial foundation to our program. We look forward to building on that together.”
“We’re signing a friend,” Tommy Joe Martins, Founder of Alpha Prime Racing, added. “When we started APR in 2022, he was the first person that believed in our program, and in a lot of ways he helped lay the foundation of our team and helped me understand how to shape our organization. He’s part of the family here. There’s a lot of trust on both sides.”
With his future plans set, Ryan Ellis’ 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season resumes this Saturday, October 17, at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, for the Timberland PRO 200. The event’s broadcast time is slated to commence at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM.
