Greg Van Alst Motorsports Overview
Greg Van Alst Motorsports is a professional stock car racing team based in Anderson, Indiana, United States, owned by driver Gregory Michael Van Alst. The team competes part-time across multiple NASCAR national series, fielding entries in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the No. 35 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and the No. 20 truck, and in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with the No. 35 Chevrolet. The team’s competitive identity has been built primarily through its success in the ARCA Menards Series, where it established a reputation as a consistent top-ten contender capable of race-winning speed.
Greg Van Alst Motorsports operates from Anderson, Indiana, with a lean, owner-driven organizational structure that places Gregory Michael Van Alst at the center of every decision from driver selection to technical strategy. The team has run Toyota and Chevrolet equipment, fielding the No. 35 as its primary car number alongside the No. 20 in select Craftsman Truck Series starts. Despite persistent financial and sponsorship challenges that have repeatedly forced schedule adjustments, Greg Van Alst Motorsports has remained active in national-level stock car competition and is widely recognized for punching above its weight through disciplined race execution.
Founding and Organizational Origins
Greg Van Alst Motorsports was formed by Gregory Michael Van Alst, an American professional stock car racing driver born in Anderson, Indiana, who established the operation to compete under his own banner in the ARCA Menards Series and related national stock car series. Before launching his own team, Van Alst had built an extensive racing resume that included two major CRA Super Series championships, giving him the experience and credibility to operate a competitive organization. The early structure of Greg Van Alst Motorsports centered on the No. 35 entry in ARCA competition, allowing Van Alst to combine his role as driver and team principal while maintaining operational control over equipment selection and race strategy.
The shop and personnel were built incrementally, with the team prioritizing proven equipment and reliable partnerships over ambitious spending. Early operational goals focused on securing consistent starting positions, minimizing mechanical attrition, and learning the demands of full-time national-series competition. Van Alst’s leadership style, shaped by decades of regional racing success, translated directly into a team culture that values resourcefulness and measured expansion over rapid growth.
Growth Into NASCAR Competition
Greg Van Alst Motorsports expanded its footprint beyond ARCA competition in 2023 when it entered the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, marking the team’s first step into NASCAR national-series competition. The initial Truck Series program was launched in partnership with Young’s Motorsports, with the No. 20 truck representing the team’s introduction to the series before Greg Van Alst Motorsports transitioned to fielding its own trucks. This phase allowed the organization to build relationships within NASCAR’s national series environment, understand the technical and logistical demands of the Truck Series, and lay the groundwork for independent team operations at the highest level of stock car racing.
As the program developed, Greg Van Alst Motorsports added the NASCAR Xfinity Series to its portfolio, fielding the No. 35 Chevrolet in collaboration with established NASCAR organizations. The team’s expansion into multiple series reflected both the owner-driver’s competitive aspirations and a strategic desire to keep operations active across the racing calendar. Key leadership responsibilities were concentrated in Van Alst’s hands, reinforcing the organization’s identity as a hands-on, owner-operated racing program that maintains direct control over technical decisions and driver selection.
Greg Van Alst Motorsports Competitive Journey
Greg Van Alst Motorsports’ competitive journey spans multiple NASCAR series and traces its roots back to the early 2000s, with a progression that saw the team establish its strongest identity in the ARCA Menards Series before gradually expanding into the Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series. The team’s development has been shaped by a balance between ambitious scheduling and practical limitations, with periods of full-time commitment giving way to selective part-time campaigns driven by the availability of sponsorship and manufacturer support.
Early Seasons and Development (2002-2020)
Greg Van Alst Motorsports traces its racing roots to Gregory Michael Van Alst’s ARCA debut in 2002, when he ran three races at Kentucky Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, and Salem Speedway, recording a best finish of fifteenth at Chicagoland. After this initial appearance, Van Alst would not return to the ARCA Menards Series for nearly two decades, during which time he built a regional racing resume that included championship success in the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series in 2014 and the ARCA/CRA Super Series in 2019. This period of development was critical in shaping the technical knowledge and racecraft that would later define Greg Van Alst Motorsports as a competitive national-series organization.
When Greg Van Alst Motorsports returned to ARCA competition in 2021 under its own banner with the No. 35, the team immediately demonstrated its competitive intent by running eight races and collecting three top-ten finishes, highlighted by a seventh-place run at Kansas Speedway and a second-place result at Winchester. That same season marked the team’s debut in ARCA Menards Series East competition at Bristol Motor Speedway, where it finished fifteenth in its first East Series start. The early return confirmed that Greg Van Alst Motorsports could be competitive at the national level and set the stage for the full-time commitment that followed in 2022.
Breakthrough in ARCA Menards Series (2022-2023)
The 2022 season represented a defining breakthrough for Greg Van Alst Motorsports, as the team ran full-time in the ARCA Menards Series for the first time and finished fifth in the final points standings, scoring eleven top-ten finishes with a best individual result of fifth at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The consistency displayed across the full season established Greg Van Alst Motorsports as a legitimate contender rather than a part-time entry, with the No. 35 car regularly competing in the top third of the field. The team’s fifth-place points finish remains the highest overall standing achieved by the organization in a national ARCA season.
The 2023 season delivered the most significant result in Greg Van Alst Motorsports history when Gregory Michael Van Alst captured the team’s first career ARCA Menards Series victory at Daytona International Speedway by making a decisive pass on Jason White on the final lap of the race. The Daytona win represented a breakthrough that validated years of incremental improvement and confirmed the team’s ability to compete for and win against established ARCA organizations. Following the victory, Greg Van Alst Motorsports was running competitively through multiple subsequent races before financial limitations forced a reduction in the schedule, a pattern that has become a recurring challenge for the organization.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2024-Present)
The current era of Greg Van Alst Motorsports has been defined by the simultaneous management of multiple racing commitments alongside persistent challenges in securing stable sponsorship and manufacturer support. In the 2024 ARCA Menards Series season, the team opened competition with a third-place finish at Daytona before announcing a return to part-time status in July due to insufficient sponsorship and manufacturer backing. Van Alst had been running competitively and held third place in the points standings at the time of the schedule reduction, and ultimately finished eleventh in points after returning to run select races at Bristol and Kansas.
In 2025, Greg Van Alst Motorsports operates a Craftsman Truck Series program fielding the No. 35 entry for a limited schedule, representing a meaningful milestone as the team competes under its own banner at the highest level of stock car truck racing. The team has also continued its participation in ARCA competition, with the organization’s entry announced for the 2026 Daytona season in partnership with Maples Motorsports. Through these transitions, Greg Van Alst Motorsports maintains its base of operations in Anderson, Indiana, and continues to pursue competitive opportunities across the NASCAR and ARCA landscapes with the practical understanding that schedule commitments are ultimately determined by the availability of financial and manufacturer support.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
Greg Van Alst Motorsports operates from a philosophy of measured resource management that prioritizes efficient use of available equipment and personnel over broad expansion. The team’s competitive strengths have been most consistently demonstrated at superspeedways and short tracks, where the driver experience of Gregory Michael Van Alst, combined with well-prepared equipment, has enabled the organization to secure results that outpace its budget-driven competitive position. The team’s ability to deliver strong finishes with part-time schedules reflects a disciplined approach to race selection and preparation that maximizes the value of every available racing opportunity.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
The most significant milestone in Greg Van Alst Motorsports history remains the team’s first ARCA Menards Series victory at Daytona International Speedway in 2023, achieved through a last-lap pass on Jason White that marked the organization’s breakthrough into race-winning territory. Earlier career championships in the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series and the ARCA/CRA Super Series laid the competitive foundation that the organization has carried into its national-series efforts, while the No. 35 team’s fifth-place finish in the 2022 ARCA Menards Series points standings stands as the most accomplished full-season result achieved by the team to date.
Greg Van Alst Motorsports Achievements and Results
Greg Van Alst Motorsports has established a record of competitive accomplishment across ARCA Menards Series national competition, regional late-model racing, and its ongoing expansion into NASCAR national-series events. The organization’s primary achievement remains a verified ARCA Menards Series race win at Daytona International Speedway, supported by a body of consistent top-ten finishes that reflects its capacity to be competitive at the national level despite operating as a smaller, owner-driven team.
ARCA Menards Series Achievements
Greg Van Alst Motorsports’ primary competitive identity was forged in the ARCA Menards Series, where the team has recorded one race victory, twenty-six top-ten finishes, and a fifth-place result in the 2022 season-long points standings. The organization’s first ARCA Menards Series win came at Daytona International Speedway in 2023, when Gregory Michael Van Alst passed Jason White on the final lap to take the checkered flag, delivering a breakthrough victory that remains the most significant individual result in the team’s history. The Daytona win was followed by consistent performance across the 2023 season, including tenth-place finishes in two of the three subsequent races, demonstrating that the victory was not a one-off result but rather a reflection of genuine competitive capability.
Conference Achievements
Greg Van Alst Motorsports has recorded six top-ten finishes in ARCA Menards Series East competition, where the team made its debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2021 and has returned to compete in combination events at the same venue in subsequent seasons. The organization’s East Series participation has provided valuable competitive experience on short tracks and has contributed to the overall development of the team’s national-level race program.
Divisional Achievements
Greg Van Alst Motorsports has competed in ARCA Menards Series West combination events, recording one top-ten finish in West Series competition across appearances at Phoenix Raceway. The team’s West Series participation has been limited to combination events rather than a full regional campaign, reflecting the organization’s focus on strategic selection of high-value competitive opportunities across the broader ARCA national schedule.
Series Achievements
Beyond ARCA Menards Series competition, Greg Van Alst Motorsports has achieved notable success in regional super late-model racing, where the organization’s driver and owner Gregory Michael Van Alst captured the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series championship in 2014 and the ARCA/CRA Super Series championship in 2019. These championships established the team’s competitive foundation and demonstrated its capacity to build and operate championship-caliber equipment in regional stock car competition before transitioning into national-series racing. The team continues to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series as of 2025, maintaining an active presence across multiple levels of professional stock car competition.