Growing up, Ryan Ellis imagined one day donning the jersey of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League. He had that kind of talent coming up through the junior hockey ranks.
But as good as he was handling a stick, Ellis was even better behind the wheel of a race car.
The Ashburn native started racing at age 4 and took off from there, winning several regional and national championships in quarter midgets racing.
By the time he was 11, Ellis had moved into Legends Car racing, where he won the Virginia state championship and finished fourth in the national points championship.
After graduating from Stone Bridge High School in 2008, Ellis went on to attend college at George Mason University, but his sights were set on reaching the pinnacle of professional auto racing.
In 2012, he joined the NASCAR circuit and now competes in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series – the second level of NASCAR racing and often seen as a proving ground for drivers. It’s just below the top series, known as the Cup Series.
To learn more about Ellis’ family, career, and racing goals – click here and read the interview with the NASCAR driver over at the Ashburn Magazine website.