Ryan Vargas Bio
Ryan John Vargas (born September 23, 2000) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Canada Series, driving the No. 28 Dodge Challenger for DJK Racing, and part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 67 for Maples Motorsports. Over the course of his career, Vargas has competed across several NASCAR national and regional series, building a reputation as a determined underfunded racer who consistently delivers on the track.
Early Life and Background
Ryan John Vargas was born on September 23, 2000, in La Mirada, California. He grew up in the same Southern California community that later became a familiar part of his personal story, and he attended La Mirada High School. Vargas was born with craniosynostosis, a condition in which the bones of a baby’s skull fuse too early, and his family has spoken about the surgeries and recovery he endured during his early years.
His introduction to motorsports came at a young age, and by 2012 he was already behind the wheel of Bandolero cars at Irwindale Speedway. The historic short track, located not far from his hometown, served as the training ground where Vargas began to sharpen his race craft. His early progress through the local racing ranks laid the foundation for a career that would eventually take him across the United States and into international competition.
Path to NASCAR
Vargas moved up to Super Stock and Super Late Model racing in 2015, gaining experience in heavier, more powerful machines. The following years saw him balance full-time competition in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with a return to Irwindale Speedway for a full season of Super Late Model racing in 2019, where he raced for friend Alec Martinez. He also began running Late Model Stock Car races in the East for Lee Faulk Racing, splitting time between coasts.
His performance in the K&N Pro Series East with Rev Racing in 2018, where he finished sixth in the championship standings with six top-ten finishes, helped open the door to the national NASCAR ladder. By the summer of 2019, Vargas was ready to make the jump to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JD Motorsports, a transition that marked his arrival on one of NASCAR’s biggest stages.
Ryan Vargas Career
Early Career (2012-2018)
Vargas began his racing career in 2012 with Bandolero cars at Irwindale Speedway, learning the basics of stock car racing in a familiar Southern California setting. He progressed to Super Stock and Super Late Model competition by 2015, showing enough speed and maturity to attract attention from higher-level teams. In 2018, he signed with Rev Racing for a full season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, a respected development series that has produced numerous NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
Although his season started slowly with finishes outside the top ten, Vargas rebounded with a ninth-place run at Langley and a sixth-place result in the final standings, collecting six top-ten finishes along the way. The campaign established him as a driver to watch and set the stage for his debut on a national NASCAR stage the following year.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2019-2023)
Vargas made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Iowa Speedway in July 2019 with JD Motorsports. He returned to the team in 2020 on a multi-race deal, and later in the season picked up a six-race sponsorship from the social networking service TikTok, expanding his schedule significantly. In 2021, he committed to a full-time ride in the No. 6 for JDM, and during the year switched to the No. 4 alongside teammate Landon Cassill in an effort to stay above the owner-points cutoff for qualifying purposes.
For 2022, Vargas was initially retained for a second full-time schedule with JDM in the No. 6, but later appeared in the No. 47 for Mike Harmon Racing. He scored a sixth-place finish in the second Daytona race, his second career top ten, and improved on his previous season championship position. In 2023, after failing to qualify for the first three races with MHR, Vargas made the switch to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he ran seven races and earned one top-ten finish while also making four starts in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2023)
Vargas’ 2023 Truck Series campaign began at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Fr8Auctions 208 and concluded at Talladega Superspeedway in the Love’s RV Stop 250. Across his seven races that season, he earned one top-ten finish and finished 32nd in the final series standings, a brief but meaningful chapter that added national series experience to his resume.
Whelen Euro Series and NASCAR Canada Series (2024-2025)
In 2024, Vargas committed to a full season in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series with 3F Racing, racing on road courses across Europe. He produced five top-ten finishes with a best result of fifth, ending the year tenth in the championship standings. On March 25, 2025, it was announced that he would make his debut in the NASCAR Canada Series with DJK Racing in the No. 28, and although funding challenges prevented a complete season, he still finished eighth in points with seven top-ten finishes and one podium.
Maples Motorsports Era (2025-Present)
Vargas returned to North American competition in 2025 with Maples Motorsports, driving the No. 67 in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned a pair of tenth-place finishes at Kansas Speedway and Salem Speedway in his four ARCA national series starts. On January 6, 2026, it was announced that Vargas would return to Maples as the anchor driver of the No. 91, while also stepping into the role of team operations manager. He joined the team for the pre-season test at Daytona International Speedway and earned an eighth-place finish in the Daytona ARCA race, the best ARCA national series result of his career.
Driving Style and Strengths
Vargas has shown particular comfort on short tracks and superspeedways during his NASCAR career, which is where many of his strongest runs have come. His time in Late Model and Euro Series road course racing has also rounded out his skill set, giving him a versatile racing resume. Working alongside small, underfunded teams has made strategy and consistency central to his approach, allowing him to maximize results regardless of the equipment at his disposal.
Notable Races and Milestones
His sixth-place finish in the second Daytona Xfinity race in 2022 stands out as a career highlight on a national NASCAR stage. His eighth-place run in the 2026 Daytona ARCA race is his best finish in ARCA national series competition, and his top-ten battle at Langley in 2018 was an early career-defining moment. Winning the 2016 and 2017 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award and being named the 2023 Comcast Community Champion reflect his impact both on and off the track.
Ryan Vargas Career Wins
Ryan Vargas has notched multiple top-ten finishes across a wide range of NASCAR and ARCA series, even though feature race wins at the national level have remained elusive. He has scored two top-tens in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, one top-ten in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, six top-tens in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, six top-tens in the ARCA Menards Series, six top-tens in the NASCAR Canada Series, and seven top-tens in the ARCA Menards Series East. His consistency in equipment-light programs has been a defining theme of his career.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights
Vargas made his Xfinity Series debut at Iowa Speedway in 2019 and went on to record two career top-ten finishes in the series. His strongest run came with a sixth-place finish in the second Daytona race of 2022, driving for Mike Harmon Racing. He competed in the series across multiple seasons with JD Motorsports and Mike Harmon Racing, building valuable seat time in NASCAR’s second-tier national tour.
Other Wins and Performances
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Vargas ran seven races in 2023 and earned one top-ten finish. In the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, he finished sixth in the 2018 championship with six top-ten finishes. In the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, he finished tenth in the 2024 standings with five top-tens and a best result of fifth. In the NASCAR Canada Series, he finished eighth in the 2025 standings with seven top-tens and one podium, and in the ARCA Menards Series East, he recorded seven top-ten finishes in his career.
Ryan Vargas Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Vargas’ immediate family and any racing lineage remains limited. What is known is that he grew up in La Mirada, California, and that his Southern California roots helped connect him to Irwindale Speedway, where he began his racing journey.
Personal Life
Vargas attended La Mirada High School in his hometown. He was born with craniosynostosis, a condition that required medical care during his early childhood, and his willingness to share that story has been part of his broader community outreach.
2025 Season Performance
Vargas’ 2025 season was split between the NASCAR Canada Series with DJK Racing and the ARCA Menards Series with Maples Motorsports. In Canada, he made his series debut and posted seven top-ten finishes with one podium, finishing eighth in the championship despite missing two races due to funding limitations. In ARCA, he ran four races and picked up a pair of tenth-place finishes at Kansas Speedway and Salem Speedway, a steady start with the Maples program.
His year was also shaped by a return to road course competition in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series with 3F Racing, where he continued to develop his skills on international circuits. The combination of Canadian, American, and European racing made 2025 one of the most diverse seasons of his career.
Looking ahead, Vargas is set to anchor Maples Motorsports’ No. 91 entry in the ARCA Menards Series while also serving as the team’s operations manager. His experience, consistency, and leadership role within a young team position him as a key figure in the Maples program going forward.
