Greg Van Alst Motorsports Overview
Greg Van Alst Motorsports is a professional stock car racing team owned by American driver Gregory Michael Van Alst and based in Anderson, Indiana. The team competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the No. 35 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and has also fielded entries in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with the No. 35 Chevrolet SS. Operating with car numbers 35 and 20, the program has built its identity around late-model roots, ARCA Menards Series competitiveness, and a willingness to take on national NASCAR events despite a small, self-funded operation. Van Alst personally serves as the team’s driver in most of its on-track efforts, blending the roles of owner and competitor.
Across its history, Greg Van Alst Motorsports has been defined by measured progression from short-track racing to the upper levels of NASCAR. The team has earned regional championships in the ARCA/CRA Super Series and the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series, and recorded its first ARCA Menards Series victory at Daytona in 2023. Even with recurring sponsorship and budget pressures that have forced the team to switch from full-time to part-time schedules, the program remains active in 2025 across both the Truck Series and supporting national events.
Founding and Organizational Origins
Greg Van Alst Motorsports grew out of the personal racing ambitions of Gregory Michael Van Alst, who was born on July 1, 1981, in Anderson, Indiana. His earliest stock car experience came in regional and short-track competition, where he built a foundation as a driver and team operator. The team itself is centered on a single-owner, family-style structure, with Van Alst serving as both driver and chief decision maker, supported by a small crew and outside technical partnerships.
The team’s early operational footprint was established through grassroots late-model racing in the Midwest. Van Alst first appeared in the ARCA Re/Max Series in 2002, running three events at Kentucky, Chicagoland, and Salem in a No. 01 Chevrolet fielded by Robert Locke. His best result that year was a fifteenth-place run at Chicagoland. After nearly two decades of working his way through regional and lower national series, Van Alst formalized his program under the Greg Van Alst Motorsports banner and returned to ARCA competition in 2021 with the No. 35 entry.
From the start, the organization emphasized hands-on preparation and incremental growth. Rather than pursuing a high-dollar, multi-car operation, Van Alst focused on quality over quantity, fielding competitive single entries in selected events. This approach allowed him to fund race weekends through a combination of personal backing, local partnerships, and sponsorship outreach, while gradually expanding into higher-profile NASCAR divisions.
Growth Into NASCAR Competition
The team’s expansion into NASCAR’s national ranks began in 2023, a watershed year for Greg Van Alst Motorsports. Van Alst made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at IRP in 2023, initially driving the No. 20 truck for Young’s Motorsports before being confirmed in the seat for the remainder of that season. The Truck Series program was soon identified as a primary focus, and the No. 35 became the team’s flagship number in national competition.
Greg Van Alst Motorsports also pushed into the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2023, when Alpha Prime Racing announced Van Alst would debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He went on to make additional starts with SS-Green Light Racing in 2024 and, on December 16, 2024, was announced as the driver of the No. 35 for Joey Gase Motorsports for the majority of the 2025 Xfinity season, though he later scaled back that schedule to concentrate on the Truck Series effort.
Manufacturer alignment has evolved alongside the team’s national ambitions. While ARCA competition has been run primarily in Chevrolet entries, including a No. 19 for Maples Motorsports, the Truck Series program is built around Toyota Tundra TRD Pro chassis. This dual-manufacturer relationship has given the team flexibility to align with partners best suited to each series while still presenting a consistent identity under the No. 35 banner.
Greg Van Alst Motorsports Competitive Journey
Greg Van Alst Motorsports has traced a steady path from regional late-model racing to the upper reaches of American stock car competition. After early short-track success that produced regional championships, the program stepped up to the ARCA Menards Series, advanced into the ARCA Menards Series East and West tours, and then expanded into both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The team’s competitive record reflects steady improvement, a willingness to race at demanding venues, and the financial realities of operating a self-funded independent.
Early Seasons and Development (2002-2020)
The earliest chapter of Greg Van Alst Motorsports was written in short-track and regional stock car competition, where Van Alst built a reputation as a consistent front-runner. In 2014, he captured the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series championship, signaling that his team had the preparation and racecraft to win at the regional level. Five years later, in 2019, he added the ARCA/CRA Super Series title, reinforcing the organization’s standing among the top late-model programs in the Midwest.
Between his 2002 ARCA Re/Max Series cameo and his return to the national ARCA ladder, Van Alst spent nearly two decades refining his craft. The team remained small and lean, with limited budgets and modest infrastructure, but it produced reliable race cars and steady results. This developmental period laid the technical foundation for the program’s eventual full-time push into ARCA and, later, NASCAR’s national series.
Breakthrough in ARCA Menards Series (2021-2023)
The 2021 season marked Greg Van Alst Motorsports’ modern breakthrough, as Van Alst returned to the ARCA Menards Series running his own No. 35 entry. He competed in eight races, collecting three top-ten finishes highlighted by a runner-up result at Winchester, a seventh at Kansas, and a sixth at Michigan. He also made his ARCA Menards Series East debut that year at Bristol, finishing fifteenth, opening a new regional avenue for the program.
In 2022, the team took a major step forward by running full-time in the ARCA Menards Series for the first time. Van Alst finished fifth in the final standings, recording eleven top-ten finishes with a best result of fifth at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He also made his ARCA Menards Series West debut that season at Phoenix in a combination event with the main series. By 2023, the program reached its highest national peak, when Van Alst scored his first ARCA Menards Series victory at the BRANDT 200 at Daytona, making a decisive pass on Jason White on the final lap to secure the win. He added two additional top-ten finishes in the next three races before electing to scale back the schedule later in the year because of limited sponsorship.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2024-Present)
Entering 2024, Greg Van Alst Motorsports intended to contest the full ARCA Menards Series schedule, opening with a strong third-place finish at Daytona. However, on July 20, 2024, and despite sitting third in points, Van Alst announced that the team would return to part-time status because of a lack of sponsorship and manufacturer support. The team completed the year with selected starts at Bristol and Kansas, finishing eleventh in the final standings. On January 27, 2026, it was confirmed that Van Alst will return to the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona, driving the No. 19 for Maples Motorsports.
On the Truck Series side, the team’s most visible modern move came on July 7, 2025, when Van Alst announced he would drive his own No. 35 entry in four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races during the 2025 season. After earlier seasons running for Young’s Motorsports in the No. 20, this signaled Greg Van Alst Motorsports’ arrival as an independent owner-driver entry at the Truck Series level. The Xfinity Series presence has continued in parallel, with reduced but consistent starts that allow the team to compete at premier venues while protecting its budget.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
Greg Van Alst Motorsports has built its identity around patience, preparation, and resourcefulness. As an independent single-car program, the team relies on detailed setup work, conservative race strategy, and consistent execution at superspeedways and intermediate tracks, where race craft and positioning often outweigh raw equipment. Van Alst’s experience across short tracks, ARCA, and NASCAR has given the team a versatile playbook, and his willingness to race smart rather than gamble the car has become a defining trait of the program.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
Among Greg Van Alst Motorsports’ most important milestones are the 2014 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series championship, the 2019 ARCA/CRA Super Series championship, and the 2023 ARCA Menards Series victory at Daytona in the BRANDT 200. The team has also recorded the 2022 ARCA Menards Series East best finish of twelfth, a fifth-place ARCA Menards Series points result in 2022, and consistent Truck Series starts beginning in 2023, with a best Truck Series points finish of thirty-ninth in 2025.
Greg Van Alst Motorsports Achievements and Results
Greg Van Alst Motorsports has accumulated a verified record of regional championships, a national ARCA Menards Series win, and multi-series NASCAR experience. Across the ARCA Menards Series, the program has earned one victory, twenty-six top-ten finishes, and a best points finish of fifth. In the ARCA Menards Series East, the team has recorded six top-ten finishes and a best points result of twelfth, while in the ARCA Menards Series West it has produced one top-ten finish.
ARCA Menards Series Achievements
Greg Van Alst Motorsports’ headline ARCA Menards Series result is the 2023 BRANDT 200 win at Daytona International Speedway, where Van Alst completed a last-lap pass for his first national-series victory. The team added an eleventh-place points finish in 2024 and a fifth-place result in 2022, the latter supported by eleven top-ten finishes during a full-time campaign. The program has also made combination-race appearances in both the ARCA Menards Series East and West, extending its presence across the broader ARCA ladder.
Series Achievements
Beyond ARCA, Greg Van Alst Motorsports has steadily built a NASCAR resume across the Craftsman Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. In the Truck Series, the team has run the No. 35 in 2025, posting a best finish of thirty-ninth in points. In the Xfinity Series, Van Alst has made starts with Alpha Prime Racing, SS-Green Light Racing, and Joey Gase Motorsports, with a best series points finish of fifty-fourth in 2024. Each of these efforts has helped position the small Indiana team as a credible independent on the national stage.
