After two seasons away from Alpha Prime Racing, Ryan Ellis is ready to return to familiar ground in 2027, learning that sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Before joining Alpha Prime Racing full time in 2023, Ellis spent more than a decade competing in part-time schedules across NASCAR’s top three national series. Alongside Brennan Poole, who recently announced his departure at season’s end, Ellis helped lay the foundation for the organization’s growth as a competitive midpack team spearheaded by Tommy Joe Martin’s vision.
“In my deal with Tommy I said, ‘Don’t give us an option year.’ That was one of the things I was adamant on, I just want to stay here,” Ellis told Jayski.com at Phoenix Raceway. “If the place burns down, just lock me in here. It was home for three years and I want to go back home to settle down and stop changing teams because that is not who I am by any means.”
Ellis jumped ship to DGM Racing in 2025, securing his first career top-10 finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway after 144 starts. He ended the campaign 28th in points, five spots lower than his final year with Alpha Prime.
For 2026, Ellis made a hop-and-a-skip over to Young’s Motorsports to pilot the organization’s No. 02 entry. He saw firsthand how much effort the Tyler Young-led organization pours into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, but it hasn’t translated to on-track success, sitting 27th in points with an average finish of 27.1.
“Seeing how this year was going, I wanted to find a way to be able to be more consistent and go back to something that was familiar,” Ellis added. “I know that sounds funny when you could say, wouldn’t it be familiar by staying a second year?
“I judge myself off the 44 team on SMT and a lot of that data throughout the year. I go to a lot of those guys for setup help and a lot of little help, so it’s like why am I not there at that point?”
Martins welcomed Ellis back with open arms, offering the Virginia native a familiar environment as Alpha Prime Racing revamps its operation around a full-fledged Ford effort in 2027. The opportunity to reunite with friends and familiar faces proved appealing, but the organizational changes weren’t the primary selling point for Ellis.
“I think there was a lot of trust on both sides and that’s what made the deal pretty appealing to both of us,” Martins said. “It was a pretty simple thing in the end because we both wanted to work again.”
Since Ellis’ last stint with Alpha Prime Racing, the two-car operation has made significant strides. Poole has overachieved in consecutive seasons, outperforming several organizations with larger budgets while putting himself in contention for wins in multiple superspeedway races. That progress appealed to Ellis, who acknowledged that during his first run with APR, the chemistry between the teams wasn’t quite where it needed to be.
“They are more collaborative than ever,” Ellis said, glancing at Alpha Prime from afar. “That’s part of what actually made me step away from Alpha Prime to begin with – our teams were very different. We weren’t necessarily able to bounce the same data off each other.”
The unified effort among the two full-time entries has made for a more cohesive unit on a weekly basis.
“I think we’re a better team,” Martins said, bluntly, comparing to Ellis’ last APR chapter. “We’ve been complimented in a weird way. We’ve been told, as I’ve talked to agents and other people, we’re the last real organization in NASCAR. I feel like we’ve built up now to where we’re an organization.
“Operationally, as a whole, we’ve gotten a lot more refined and probably a lot better. I think about where I was three or four years ago, I was still getting my head around being an owner. I think I’m better at it now, five years in, primarily focused on that whenever Ryan last drove for us.”
Ellis, a close friend of Poole, admits he’s disappointed to see him leave for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport in 2027. When the beginning stages of a possible return to Alpha Prime were underway, he was hopeful to work with Poole again. However, Martins emphasized that while Ellis’ return may appear on paper to be a direct successor for Poole, the circumstances are far more nuanced.
“We can want Ryan back on the team and we can also want Brennan Poole back – and Brennan has made a decision that he wants to do something different,” Martins added. “We’re not looking to replace Brennan because he’s a hard guy to replace. I think any team is going to be better for having him on it.”
Meanwhile, Ellis is hoping to fill that veteran role internally for 2027. He has 225 national touring starts to his name and could play a pivotal role should upstart Lavar Scott return to the company for a second season.
“We can lean on the notebook that they are building with the 44 team,” Ellis said, admitting that running a specific number hasn’t been finalized for 2027. “Maybe I will be a lead driver. I look at it as a different opportunity to be the veteran presence now and take Brennan’s place as much as I can.”
Ultimately, Ellis is happy to return to Alpha Prime Racing, where familiar faces will surround him throughout the race shop.
“It’s going to feel like a little bit of a throwback,” Ellis said. “We’re just all a little more gray and out of shape from what we used to be.”