Ryan James Ellis (born November 29, 1989) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 02 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Young's Motorsports. He has also competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the past.

Racing career Early career

A third-generation racecar driver, Ellis was born on November 29, 1989 in Torrance, California, and began driving Quarter Midgets at the age of four and nearly won the first QMA Dirt National Championship race he entered. He then went on to a have a seven-year career in Quarter Midgets, becoming Virginia's all-time QMA leader and a prominent open-wheel racer.

Entering the Legends scene at the age of twelve, Ellis achieved national success campaigning for the open-wheel INEX Legends Cars. Winning Young Lion and Semi-Pro titles in 2002, 2003, and 2004, Ellis toured the nation in 2005 as a member of INEX's elite Legends Pro division, capturing the 2005 Virginia State Pro Championship and finishing fourth in the National Pro Series. Ellis won dozens of Legends features on the Bullrings of Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Still today, Ellis returns to the ovals with his Legends Car several times each year.

Road racing

In 2006, when he was not running Late Models, Ellis raced his Legends Car, going Road Racing with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA), where he won the majority of the events he entered. Ellis won the 2006 NASA Hyperfest/Summit Point event, captured the 2006 NASA Mid-Atlantic Legends Road Racing Championship, and lost the inaugural 2006 NASA National Championships at Mid-Ohio by a mere two feet. At the end of the 2006 season, Ellis was invited (for the second year in a row) to the second annual Performance Racing Industry National Invitational race at the Orlando Speedworld bullring. In only his second oval track race of the season with the Legends Car, Ellis qualified in the top ten and was running fifth in the prestigious nationally televised event.

In 2007, Ryan Ellis Racing re-established its own internally managed race programs featuring a Pro Legends Car oval racing entry, and in mid-year, they also began contesting a Mazda Spec Miata race car in a partial season of both NASA and SCCA Road Racing. That program led to a full-on 2008 NASA National and Regional Championship chase in the Spec Miata class. In 2008, Ellis finished as runner-up by two points in the NASA Mid Atlantic Spec Miata championship. He was also the highest-finishing driver from his region at the 2008 NASA Spec Miata Nationals, finished second in the inaugural Mazda Teen Challenge program, and was voted "Driver of the Year" by NASA Mid Atlantic.

In February 2009, Ellis was selected in a nationwide search by Volkswagen of America as one of only fifteen new drivers from North America invited to enter their 2009 Jetta TDI Cup series. When he wasn't racing somewhere in the TDI Cup, Ellis spent the 2009 season racing his beloved Mazda Spec Miata with NASA out on the West Coast – where he dominated the 2009 Teen Mazda Challenge and won the season Championship. At the end of the 2009 season, Ellis entered the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup twin finale(s) at Virginia International Raceway. There, he surprised the series regulars by running in the lead pack both days and posting solid top-ten finishes in his first time in an MX-5 Cup car. The 2009 season closed with a coveted invite to the Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development MX-5 Cup Shootout, where Ellis (the youngest of the five finalists) finished as the runner-up in the closest competition ever.

In 2010, Ellis won the first two races of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season before finishing the season sixth in points. Two wins and two poles, both at VIR, fastest lap at two races (Mid-Ohio and VIR), three podiums (VIRx2 and Puebla), led three races at VIR twice, and Road America), and set a new track record at VIR. At the end of the season, he tested with many Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge teams before signing with APR Motorsport for the 2011 season.

At the 2011 season opener for the Continental series at Daytona International Speedway, Ellis broke the track record in qualifying by nearly two seconds, qualified first, and won the first race of his rookie season with teammate Ian Baas. He then won at Homestead–Miami Speedway in Round 2 and finished third at the Continental Tire event at Road America, resulting in a third-place finish in the overall points standings and winning the ST Rookie of the Year.

Ellis signed with Insight Racing in 2012 and won the 2012 Kia 200 with co-driver Martin Jensen before the team folded due to a lack of funding. Ellis was quickly signed to i-MOTO Racing and completed much of the 2012 season with them. In 2013, Ellis was signed to drive with co-driver Mathew Pombo with i-MOTO Racing again. He qualified on pole at Daytona and led much of the race before retiring due to mechanical failure. Ellis qualified in the top three for many races with i-MOTO before being hired by Team SkullCandy Nissan for the balance of the 2013 season.

Early NASCAR experiences

Ellis had a short-lived entry into the world of NASCAR in 2006. Quickly, Ellis was the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car (LMSC) rookie pacesetter at his home track, Manassas' fabled Old Dominion Speedway. Ellis competed sparingly that spring in both Virginia and North Carolina in NASCAR's highest Weekly Racing Series division. Ellis also raced at Old Dominion's 3/8 oval in 2009, winning another Legends race and driving a NASCAR Late Model once again.

NASCAR Truck Series

For 2014, Ellis moved to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving a partial schedule in the No. 28 fielded by FDNY Racing.

NASCAR Cup Series Ellis made his Sprint Cup Series debut in the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500, driving the No. 33 for Circle Sport. After qualifying 42nd, he finished 40th in the rain-shortened event, eight laps behind race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. In 2016, Ellis began running multiple races for BK Racing, driving the No. 93 car in the Cup Series with sponsorship from ScienceLogic, starting at Richmond in April.

With a lack of sponsorship available, Ellis became the public relations representative for Go Fas Racing and Matt DiBenedetto. When DiBenedetto left BK Racing after the 2016 season, Ellis was one of the leading candidates to replace him in the seat before drivers with personal funding took over the ride.

At the Mid-Ohio Xfinity race, Ellis was involved in a late wreck with friend Cody Ware. To make amends, Ware's family team Rick Ware Racing offered Ellis a ride for the Kansas Cup race.

NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Part-time with multiple teams: (2012–2021) From his rookie season in 2012, Ellis drove for various of teams in the Xfinity Series. Ellis continued competing part-time in the series, but with B. J. McLeod Motorsports. After spending 2020 completely away from the driver's seat, Ellis returned to BJMM in 2021 on a seven-race schedule in their No. 99.

Alpha Prime Racing: (2022–2024)

In 2022, he joined Alpha Prime Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on a partial schedule. In his first race with Alpha Prime, Ellis scored a career-best thirteenth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. On September 15, it was announced that Ellis would return to Alpha Prime Racing for the 2023 season on an expanded, but still part-time schedule. He would later go on to compete in almost every race of the season.

On August 4, 2023, it was announced that Ellis will be moved to a full-time slate in 2024 in their No. 43 car. He began the 2024 season with a 11th-place finish at Daytona. On October 18, it was announced that Ellis would leave APR at the end of the season.

DGM Racing: (2025)

On December 6, 2024, DGM Racing announced that Ellis would drive the No. 71 for the 2025 season. Ellis started the 2025 season with a 23rd-place finish at Daytona. At Charlotte in the spring, he earned his first top-ten finish across all three national series, finishing eighth.

Young's Motorsports: (2026)

On November 11, 2025, it was announced that Ellis would be joining Young's Motorsports for 2026. He started the 2026 season with a new-career best finish of sixth at Daytona. On September 16, it was announced that Ellis would not return to Young's.

Personal life Ellis currently resides in Huntersville, North Carolina with his wife, Allison Ellis, who is locally known for her philanthropic endeavors and her love for dogs.

Ellis' parents are Jane Ellis and Jim Ellis of Ashburn, Virginia. He has a younger sister named Kara. Ellis graduated from Stone Bridge High School in 2008 and attended George Mason University (GMU) before finishing his degree through Appalachian State University. Ellis is a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He used to serve as a resident Pro Racing Instructor at Allsports Grand Prix in Sterling, Virginia.

Ellis hosts his own podcast, "Not Another Racing Podcast". Fellow NASCAR driver Matt DiBenedetto is also a host on CBS/WJFK's weekly radio talk show called "In the Pits".

Outside of racing, Ellis is an avid hockey player and has played professionally with the Potomac Mavericks of the PIHA and for the GMU college hockey team. Ellis also plays hockey recreationally, with several adults playing ice hockey and inline leagues. A dedicated fan of the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals, Ellis added an anti-Pittsburgh Penguins logo to the back of some of his helmets, before designing a Capitals-themed helmet in 2018 that eventually commemorated the team's first Stanley Cup victory. Ellis still plays hockey for a team based in Charlotte.

Motorsports career results

Racing career summary SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsTop 5Top 10PointsPosition2012NASCAR Nationwide SeriesHamilton Means Racing1000599th2013NASCAR Nationwide SeriesHamilton Means Racing10005755thSR2 Motorsports50002014NASCAR Camping World Truck SeriesRosenblum Racing40000NC†JJC Racing4000Win-Tron Racing1000NASCAR Nationwide SeriesSR2 Motorsports100010437thThe Motorsports Group7000Rick Ware Racing2000JGL Racing2000Vision Racing00002015NASCAR Camping World Truck SeriesFDNY Racing200019229thMAKE Motorsports9000NASCAR Xfinity SeriesJGL Racing10000NC†Jimmy Means Racing1000Rick Ware Racing5000Obaika Racing2000NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesCircle Sport10000NC†2016NASCAR Camping World Truck SeriesFDNY Racing00000NC†MAKE Motorsports2000Norm Benning Racing1000MB Motorsports0000JJC Racing0000NASCAR Xfinity SeriesRick Ware Racing700019130thObaika Racing9000NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesBK Racing30000NC†Premium Motorsports10002017NASCAR Xfinity SeriesSS-Green Light Racing10001663rd2018NASCAR Xfinity SeriesB. J. McLeod Motorsports20002757th2019NASCAR Xfinity SeriesB. J. McLeod Motorsports20003059th2021NASCAR Camping World Truck SeriesReaume Brothers Racing20000NC†NASCAR Xfinity SeriesB. J. McLeod Motorsports60006744thMike Harmon Racing0000NASCAR Cup SeriesRick Ware Racing10000NC†2022NASCAR Xfinity SeriesAlpha Prime Racing1100015536th2023NASCAR Xfinity SeriesAlpha Prime Racing3100036625th2024NASCAR Xfinity SeriesAlpha Prime Racing3300044123rd2025NASCAR Xfinity SeriesDGM Racing3300141928th2026NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts SeriesYoung's Motorsports27001279*27th* † As Ellis was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series