Chip Ellis might compare notes with Tony Dungy.

Dungy, a former head coach with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers was relieved of his duties as head coach on November 14, 2002 despite taking the franchise to the playoffs in four of his six seasons.

A half decade later, Chip Ellis lost his driving job with the G2 Motorsports team on the same date after losing the final round at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Ca. In a season of 18 races, Ellis’s employment came down to .068 of a second – the holeshot he gave up to Matt Smith in that championship-deciding race.

Team owners George Smith and George Bryce opted to not renew the Ellis contract Wednesday afternoon.

"My agreement with Chip for 2007 was that we would put forth a maximum effort and do our best to perform at the highest level," Smith said in a prepared statement. "And with Ken Johnson, Dale Ellis, the guys back at S&S and the whole crew here at G2 in Americus, we did just that. I challenged Chip to be able to surge hard and cut good lights on Sunday. That was part of the deal. Had we won either of the final rounds we were in at Pomona or Las Vegas, we would have won a championship.

Five Nationals victories in three seasons, Ellis contract not renewed with G2

Chip Ellis might compare notes with Tony Dungy.

Dungy, a former head coach with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers was relieved of his duties as head coach on November 14, 2002 despite taking the franchise to the playoffs in four of his six seasons.

A half decade later, Chip Ellis lost his driving job with the G2 Motorsports team on the same date after losing the final round at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Ca. In a season of 18 races, Ellis’s employment came down to .068 of a second – the holeshot he gave up to Matt Smith in that championship-deciding race.

Team owners George Smith and George Bryce opted to not renew the Ellis contract Wednesday afternoon.

"My agreement with Chip for 2007 was that we would put forth a maximum effort and do our best to perform at the highest level," Smith said in a prepared statement. "And with Ken Johnson, Dale Ellis, the guys back at S&S and the whole crew here at G2 in Americus, we did just that. I challenged Chip to be able to surge hard and cut good lights on Sunday. That was part of the deal. Had we won either of the final rounds we were in at Pomona or Las Vegas, we would have won a championship.

“What I did this year to work with Chip, and what George Bryce did with Chip, didn't work. Now he can decide what he wants to do with his racing career. This is not a negative parting. We've had a good crew meeting here, and I've called the sponsors and assured them that this is a positive opportunity for them and all of us."

Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com spoke with Ellis on Thursday regarding the decision. While disappointed, he couldn’t argue their decision.

“Honestly, I just didn’t do my job on Sunday and that’s what it boiled down to,” Ellis said Thursday afternoon.

Just like Dungy in 2002, has he won a Super Bowl, he’d likely still be in Tampa. Dungy eventually went on to win a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts in January. Ellis, had he won a championship would likely still have a ride.

As for Ellis, he’s hoping his championship day will come in the future. He believes his contract would have been renewed with a title.

These people have treated me like family since the day I walked in the door. That means a lot to me right there. - Chip Ellis

“I think if I would have won the championship things could have been possibly different,” Ellis agreed.

Smith and Bryce’s decision didn’t surprise him.

“It really didn’t come as a shock,” Ellis said. “I really wanted to stay here and keep racing with them. I know I didn’t do a good job this year of cutting good lights on Sunday. I mean, even when I didn’t cut a good like, I could still ride the bike good. I just struggled. Part of it was my fear of red-lighting because it is so easy to red-light on these bikes that I never really got into a groove except in Vegas and the final race in Pomona.

“It got dark in Pomona and I went back to worrying about red-lighting again. That’s the whole story in a nutshell.”

Ellis finished third in the points and in three full seasons, never finished below fifth. In 2007, he claimed seven NHRA Full Throttle Awards – an accolade presented to one team in each POWERade professional category with the quickest average elapsed time throughout qualifying.

Ellis entered the final event with rumors suggesting a reunion with former team rider Angelle Sampey with Bryce. In an interview with NHRA.com following the contract decision, Bryce gave credence to the banter.

"We'd love to have her on board again," Bryce acknowledged.

That kind of talk was already circulating in certain circles before Bryce went on the record. After the Pomona shortcoming, Ellis expected the other shoe to drop.

“I was waiting on George Smith to give me an answer because he said he didn’t know if he was going to race or what his program was going to be next year,” Ellis said. “I never considered any other opportunities until I heard the word from George. We had an agreement that we would notify one another first before we told anyone else. He kept good on his word and I respect that.”

Right now the G2 Motorsports team is uncertain if they will field a bike next year.

For Ellis, the experience has led to mixed emotions throughout the past two days.

“Some stuff got out on the Internet that wasn’t real kosher,” Ellis said. “I told them that I’m not mad. Obviously, I’m somewhat disappointed but not so much at them – but myself. As far as the shop is concerned, these people have treated me like family since the day I walked in the door. That means a lot to me right there.

“They’ve treated me well and they’ve always looked out for me and made sure I had great equipment. I’m going to continue my relationship with them. If I end up on a Buell, I will continue to work with the guys back at the shop. I’ll help George in any way that I can because I know these bikes as well as anyone. It’s all I’ve worked on for the last three years.”

Calls to G2 Racing’s George and Jackie Bryce were unreturned as of deadline. They issued a statement yesterday afternoon through their team publicist.

"Personally, I have developed a good working relationship with Chip. I admire him and believe that he is one of the best motorcycle riders in the world. He has been a great help in proving the capabilities of the S&S powered V-Twin Pro Stock Motorcycle, and has helped our program immensely the past few years. He has the option of remaining as a valued employee of G2 as he considers his plans."

"He's been the best test rider we've ever had," said Jackie Bryce, G2 vice president of operations. And in 28 years with Star Racing and G2, Bryce has seen a lot of riders.

"We'd like to retain his talents as a test driver and his ability to demonstrate bikes for customers," agreed G2 co-owner George Bryce. "Sometimes, change is required for things to move forward."

Ellis harbors no resentment for what he said was a pure business decision.

“Those guys gave the opportunity to race a top-caliber bike and I appreciate that,” Ellis said. “I will continue to work at the shop unless I find something else. If I do, I will move on but I’ve made a commitment that if they need a test rider on these new bikes they have – I will come and ride them. I’d be happy to do that and I think I can make a good test dummy.”

Already, Ellis is drawing interest from a few of the leading teams. He’s declined to discuss his future plans other than he’s content working with Bryce unless something comes along that involves another opportunity to ride.