Ryan Ellis to Race Majority Remaining Schedule with Rick Ware Racing; SR2 Motorsports Future in Doubt

Ryan Ellis will have multiple organizations to call home for the remainder of the NASCAR season. Ellis, 24, recently signed a deal to race for Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for multiple events. 

After making his Nationwide Series season debut with a career-best finish at Las Vegas, the Virginia native was signed by SR2 Motorsports to become the team’s lead driver. However, the team has not attempted any races since the fifth event of the year at the Auto Club Speedway with Jason White. 

Ellis has now been signed by Rick Ware Racing for a large portion of the remaining events on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. He will be attempting his debut with the organization this weekend at the Iowa Speedway in the No. 15 car, but will also be running the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event for FDNY Racing. Entering this weekend’s events, Ellis has eight career starts in the Nationwide Series as well as a pair of starts in the Truck Series.

The opportunity to race for Rick Ware Racing comes at a time where Ellis’ future was in doubt as he only raced one event for SR2 Motorsports this season. However, he will now be running the majority of the season with three different organizations. 

According to Ellis, SR2 Motorsports has experienced “financial difficulties.” Entering 2014, SR2 Motorsports, owned by Jason Sciavicco, was set to run two full-time cars, the No. 00 and No. 24 Toyota Camry’s. Now, the team is reportedly closing shop. SR2 Motorsports has not been active on social media since the conclusion of March. A phone call was made to SR2 Motorsports, but there was no answer and “the inbox was full.”

Update: Ellis will be racing the No. 46 Chevrolet for The Motorsports Group this weekend as there was a “logistical problem” that won’t enable the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing car from racing this weekend. The No. 46 is usually driven by Matt DiBenedetto, but because Josh Wise, the driver of the No. 40 car for the team, is in Charlotte for the Sprint Showdown, DiBenedetto will drive that vehicle this weekend. 

Joseph Wolkin