Getty Rajah Caruth qualifies at Pocono Raceway.
Alpha Prime Racing has added a new driver for the NASCAR Xfinity Series trip to the West Coast. Dylan Lupton will join the three-car team while making his return to the second-tier series.
Lupton will first join Alpha Prime Racing on Saturday, June 3. He will take over the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro at Portland International Raceway, and he will make his 40th career start in the Xfinity Series.
‼️NEWS: Thought we’d use this delay time to let y’all know that @LuptonDylan will be joining us on the west coast at @Race_Portland and @RaceSonoma!
Lupton will return to the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro the following week as the teams pack up and head south. He will compete at Sonoma Raceway, the road course where he made his Cup Series debut back in 2016. He drove for BK Racing and finished 35th overall.
Lupton will join the Xfinity Series as it makes its debut at the California track. Though he has some experience at the track. He secured two top-10 finishes and one top-five at Sonoma Raceway while competing in the K&N Pro Series West in 2013 and 2014.
Lupton Has 1 Top-10 Finish in the Xfinity Series
GettyDylan Lupton waits on the starting grid at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Lupton, a California native, has not suited up in the Xfinity Series since the 2021 season when he made four starts for Sam Hunt Racing. He drove the No. 26 Toyota at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway. His best finish was 15th at the Arizona track.
Lupton has made 39 total starts in the Xfinity Series, and he has posted an average finish of 25.0 between 2015-2021. This includes his lone top-10 finish, which he secured at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course while driving for Tony Townley.
The two-race schedule with Alpha Prime Racing provides Lupton with two more opportunities to secure strong finishes at road courses. This style of track is where he has delivered his best finishes during his part-time career.
Lupton will control an entry that Stefan Parsons took to a 12th-place finish at Watkins Glen International during the 2022 season. Josh Bilicki also finished 13th at Road America while driving the No. 44 Chevrolet.
Lupton Will Temporarily Replace Another Driver
GettyRyan Ellis practices at Martinsville Speedway.
With Lupton joining Alpha Prime Racing for two road course races, this means that another driver must temporarily step aside. Ryan Ellis will be the one that steps back while focusing on his future.
Ellis has started the first 12 races of the Xfinity Series season while driving both the No. 43 and No. 45. He wasn’t set to run the full season for APR, but he had partners jumping on board to provide support while he continued to make starts.
Ellis was able to expand his original schedule from 15 races to nearly a full season. This marked his busiest schedule since the 2016 season when he suited up for 16 of the 33 Xfinity Series races while driving for multiple teams.
“The 43 team is in good hands with @LuptonDylan,” Ellis tweeted on May 29. “Going to take the next month to build up the rest of our program for 2023 and 2024. Should end up at no less than 29 races, maybe 31. Anyone need a driver for Portland or Sonoma?”