Ryan Ellis Bio
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. A versatile competitor, Ellis has also made starts in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, building a reputation as a determined presence in NASCAR’s national touring divisions.
Early Life and Background
Ryan James Ellis was born on November 29, 1989, in Torrance, California, and raised in the Ashburn, Virginia, area by his parents, Jim Ellis and Jane Ellis. He has a younger sister named Kara, and the family has long supported his racing ambitions. Ellis is a third-generation racecar driver, a heritage that shaped his early introduction to motorsports.
He began driving Quarter Midgets at the age of four and nearly won his first Quarter Midget Association Dirt National Championship race. Over a stellar seven-year career in Quarter Midgets, he became Virginia’s all-time QMA leader and one of the most successful open-wheel racers in the state. He graduated from Stone Bridge High School in 2008 and later attended George Mason University before completing his degree through Appalachian State University.
Path to NASCAR
Ellis entered the Legends Car scene at the age of twelve, campaigning the open-wheel INEX Legends Cars and winning Young Lion and Semi-Pro titles in 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 2005, he toured the nation 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. He also branched into road racing with the National Auto Sport Association, where he won the majority of events he entered and won the 2006 NASA Hyperfest event at Summit Point.
In February 2009, Volkswagen of America selected Ellis as one of fifteen drivers invited to compete in the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup series, where he dominated the 2009 Teen Mazda Challenge and won that season championship. In 2010, he won the first two races of the TDI Cup season and finished sixth in points, earning two wins, two poles, and three podiums. He also signed with APR Motorsport for the 2011 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season, where he won the ST Rookie of the Year honors.
Ryan Ellis Career
Early Career (1994–2005)
Ellis’s earliest racing memories are rooted in Quarter Midgets, where he spent seven years establishing himself as Virginia’s all-time QMA leader. He then transitioned into the INEX Legends Car ranks, where he proved himself a quick study. His national success in the Young Lion and Semi-Pro divisions led to a promotion into the elite Pro division by 2005.
That year, he won the Virginia State Pro Championship and finished fourth nationally, while also winning dozens of Legends features on bullrings across Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Those early open-wheel victories gave Ellis a strong technical foundation before he turned his attention toward full-bodied stock cars.
NASCAR Camping World Truck and Xfinity Series Debut (2014–2015)
For 2014, Ellis moved to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving a partial schedule in the No. 28 fielded by FDNY Racing. In 2014 and 2015, he drove for various teams in both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series, gaining valuable seat time and learning the nuances of stock car racing. He also made his Sprint Cup Series debut during this period in the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500, driving the No. 33 for Circle Sport and finishing 40th in the rain-shortened event.
He continued to build his resume by running multiple races for BK Racing in the Cup Series in 2016, driving the No. 93 car with sponsorship from ScienceLogic. When sponsorship became scarce, Ellis shifted into a public relations role with Go Fas Racing and Matt DiBenedetto, while still competing part-time in the Xfinity Series with B. J. McLeod Motorsports.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Return (2021–Present)
After spending 2020 completely away from the driver’s seat, Ellis returned to B. J. McLeod Motorsports in 2021 on a seven-race Xfinity schedule in the No. 99. In 2022, he joined Alpha Prime Racing on a partial schedule, where he scored a career-best thirteenth place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his first race with the team. On September 15 of that year, Alpha Prime announced Ellis would return for an expanded part-time slate in 2023.
Ellis ended up contesting nearly every race of the 2023 season and moved up to a full-time ride in the No. 43 in 2024. On October 18, 2024, it was announced that he would leave Alpha Prime at season’s end and join DGM Racing for a full-time 2025 season. On December 6, 2024, DGM Racing announced that Ellis would drive the No. 71 for 2025, and on May 24, 2025, he scored his first career top-ten finish across all three national series with an eighth-place run at Charlotte.
Driving Style and Strengths
Ellis is known for a smooth, technically refined driving approach shaped by his Quarter Midget and road-racing background. His open-wheel experience has helped him maintain consistent lap times on road and street courses, while his years of Legends and Late Model racing have made him comfortable in tight, low-grip ovals. He is widely respected for his preparation, communication, and ability to extract maximum performance from underfunded equipment.
Notable Races and Milestones
Among Ellis’s signature moments are his first career top-ten finish across NASCAR’s three national series at Charlotte in 2025, his career-best thirteenth place run at Las Vegas with Alpha Prime Racing, and his Cup Series debut at Phoenix. He also earned the 2011 Grand-Am ST Rookie of the Year, capping a memorable breakthrough season in sports car racing.
Ryan Ellis Career Wins
Ryan Ellis has built a varied resume with championships and race wins across open-wheel, sports car, and stock car competition. While his national NASCAR win column remains modest, his victories in grassroots and developmental series have laid a strong foundation for his career. His career is defined more by persistence and consistency than by headline-grabbing victories at the top level.
Stock Car Highlights
Ellis has notched top-ten finishes at premier NASCAR venues, including his breakthrough eighth-place run at Charlotte in 2025 with DGM Racing. He previously posted a career-best thirteenth place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Alpha Prime Racing in 2022. He has also made select Cup Series starts for Circle Sport and BK Racing, gaining experience against the sport’s top competitors.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside of NASCAR, Ellis won the 2005 Virginia State Legends Pro Championship, the 2009 Teen Mazda West Coast Championship, and the 2011 NASA SU National Championship. He also captured two Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup victories in 2010 and won at Daytona and Homestead-Miami in the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, taking ST Rookie of the Year honors. He added the 2012 Kia 200 win at Daytona with Insight Racing alongside co-driver Martin Jensen.
Ryan Ellis Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Ryan Ellis comes from a deep racing family, with his father Jim Ellis and mother Jane Ellis raising him in Ashburn, Virginia. He is a third-generation racecar driver, carrying on a family tradition that dates back to his grandfather. He also has a younger sister named Kara, who has supported his career throughout the years.
Personal Life
Ellis currently resides in Huntersville, North Carolina, with his wife Allison Ellis. He is a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, hosts the Not Another Racing Podcast, and is an avid hockey player who has skated professionally with the Potomac Mavericks and for the George Mason University college hockey team. A devoted Washington Capitals fan, he has designed Capitals-themed helmets and remains active in recreational hockey leagues in Charlotte.
2025 Season Performance
Ryan Ellis entered the 2025 season driving the No. 71 for DGM Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, a promotion announced in December 2024 after his full-time move from Alpha Prime Racing. The transition marked his first full-time campaign in several years and provided him with greater consistency on track. Working with his DGM crew, Ellis quickly found pace and posted several strong runs in the early portion of the schedule.
The defining moment of his 2025 campaign came on May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he finished eighth to earn his first career top-ten across all three of NASCAR’s national series. The result validated his consistency and validated the DGM Racing program. It also signaled that Ellis could compete for top results when given reliable equipment.
Heading into the back half of 2025, Ellis aims to build on his Charlotte breakthrough and convert consistent runs into additional top-ten finishes. With playoff positioning still within reach, his partnership with DGM Racing has given him a stable platform to chase his first NASCAR national-series victory. The season represents a long-awaited payoff for years of perseverance across multiple NASCAR divisions.