NASCAR O’Reilly silly season: Williams to DGM, Ellis to Young’s in 2026
With 92 days until Daytona, the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series field is filling out with Ryan Ellis and Josh Williams making moves.
Josh Williams will return to DGM in 2026 and drive the No. 92 Chevrolet he famously parked on-track at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2023. Williams will replace Ryan Ellis, who will join Young’s Motorsports after a season with DGM.
DGM is welcoming Williams back after the Atlanta incident earned him a ride at Kaulig Racing. In 2025, Kaulig released him after his 54th race in their No. 11 Chevrolet.
Williams has made 170 of his 249 O’Reilly starts with DGM, including three after his release. He also achieved his best career finish with DGM, finishing sixth at Kansas in October of 2020 — a season that also saw him finish a career-best 15th in points with a career-high six top-10 finishes on the season.
Ellis also reached a new career-high with DGM, earning an elusive first top-10 in 2025, finishing eighth at Charlotte in May. However, his average finish and points position were meager — averaging a 24.4 and finishing 28th in 2025, compared to 23.7 and 23rd with Alpha Prime Racing in 2024.
Ellis is now headed to Young’s Motorsports, a team he has never driven for that is expanding to two entries. He will drive their No. 02 Chevrolet while someone else will drive the No. 42 Chevrolet. Anthony Alfredo drove the car in 2025 but hasn’t been named to the car yet for 2026.
Discover more from The Racing Experts
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com