What Alpha Prime's Ford O'Reilly Series deal is and is not

This is not a full-fledged Ford operation like Team Penske or Haas Factory Team but Alpha Prime Racing will likely be the sole representative of the Blue Oval next year and there is a lot to be said for the opportunity that presents.

Team owners Tommy Joe Martins and Caesar Bacarella, alongside team president Jusan Hamilton, made the announcement on Saturday morning at Darlington Raceway and expressed conviction that is more evolution than revolution.

“I think we have been pretty candid about the whole thing,” Martins said. “I mean, ultimately we feel like we are a team that competes at the top of that second group in the field in the O'Reilly series.

“I don’t think, ultimately, that our goals are changing to now be a premier team in the O’Reilly Series. We know exactly what we are. We do believe that access to more information and having more of a priority within a manufacturer ecosystem is going to help.”

To wit, being likely the only team that is fielding Ford engines in the division, and is something of a priority for Roush Yates Engines is a better proposition than one of many using Earnhardt Childress Racing engines.

But Martins hopes there’s a pathway for future growth too.

“This is the relationship that obviously we're at the very ground floor of it right now, but as that relationship gets better and we get more access to more tools, we feel like it's going to really help us stay exactly where we're at,” Martins said. “Which is kind of that relevant place as one of those teams that's right there around the bubble pretty much each and every year.”

In other words, again, this isn’t about turning Alpha Prime into a perennial winner. That remains a long term goal but they aren’t there yet. A tangible example of how this benefits APR?

“I know I'm going a little off script here, but Sam Hunt (Racing) got to go do a Goodyear tire test,” Martins said. “Well, why is that? Well, there are not that many Toyota representatives in the field and there has to be someone to represent each manufacturer.

“Right now, for Ford, we are the manufacturer representative and that's going to create some pathways for us to develop and get better that we just haven't had access to before.”

The three team representatives were very careful, and very adamant, not to oversell the relationship for Ford but simply want to create opportunities for themselves by showing what kind of partner they can be.

“We’re not here to announce an affiliation,” Hamilton said. “We would like members of our organization to be able to move and continue working within the Ford ecosystem. I think Ceasar and Tommy Joe have done a good job building a team where you can start guys young, have them learn, and move on to other teams – crew members and drivers.

“If we can build those kind of relationships, that’s what it’s about for us.”

The team has not announced yet its driver lineup for 2027 beyond praising the work of both Brennan Poole and Lavar Scott.

“Those conversations will be ongoing and we hope to make those announcements at a later date,” Hamilton said.

Martins closed by saying 'we are a small team that will still be a small team' but they hope their future growth can come within Ford's overall ecosystem, even if that manufacturer isn't currently operating any Tier 1 teams right now. 

"We kind of know our role within that ecosystem," Martins said. "We want to be an affiliate level team. We want to be one of those secondary teams. I think given the resources, there are a lot of resources here, and that's the main thing. 

"We had very frank and very open conversations about what our role would be. We didn't want to come in here and promise something we couldn't deliver on. We know this is going to be a process."