By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer
The ARCA Menards Series will have a new team on joining the grid as Alpha Prime Racing will expand their footprint with the No. 45 Ford Mustang.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series team co-owned by Caesar Bacarella and Tommy Joe Martins was formed in 2022. In the six years since Bacarella and Martins formed their alliance the team has earned five top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. The organization earned its best finish in the 2025 North Carolina Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway when Parker Retzlaff finished runner-up to race winner Sammy Smith.
Prior to the Fleetio 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Alpha Prime announced that the team would be switching from Chevrolet to Ford for the 2027 season. The team got a headstart on the manufacturer change, fielding Ford Racing Mustangs sporadically for Brennan Poole and Lavar Scott since the announcement.
The expansion into the ARCA Menards Series increases the footprint for the underdog team.
“We have been deliberate about building the next phase of Alpha Prime Racing in a way that is competitive and sustainable,” said Jusan Hamilton, President of Alpha Prime Racing. “ARCA gives us another meaningful platform to develop people, serve partners and create a clearer pathway within our organization. It is a natural extension of the direction we have established, and we are excited to build it the right way.”
The ARCA Menards Series is not the first expansion for the Mooresville, N.C. based team. After the organization’s first full season in 2022, Alpha Prime expanded to two full-time cars in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2023. Alpha Prime also has a Late Model racing program.
“We want Alpha Prime Racing to keep growing,” Bacarella said. “Adding ARCA keeps us building and gives us new ways to grow and re-invest into the team. We know this is going to be a great series for us.”
A part of Alpha Prime Racing’s mission has been development. The team has welcomed several up-and-coming drivers to their program since 2022 including Rajah Caruth, Parker Retzlaff, Lavar Scott and more.
“Development has always been part of who we are,” Martins said. “And that’s drivers, mechanics, engineers or administration – we like giving new people a chance. And ARCA, for us, will be the place where they can learn, compete and prove they are ready for the next opportunity. It’s a refocusing on Alpha Prime’s future.”
Martins, using his own experiences as a driver and team owner, highlighted driver and team development in an award-winning short film that he directed, “Underfunded.”
The driver lineup, schedule, technical partners and personnel for Alpha Prime’s ARCA effort will be announced at a later date.
The 2027 ARCA Menards Series season starts Saturday, February 20, at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.