Greg Van Alst Staying Upbeat Ahead of ARCA Road Course Return to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Speedway Digest

By all accounts, Greg Van Alst was shocked when he walked out of the garage following last weekend’s Atlas 150 at Iowa Speedway to find himself still second in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings.

A strong performance by Van Alst and his volunteer Greg Van Alst Motorsports team showcasing their potential on short tracks by competing inside the top-10 in the series’ return to the Midwest.

Unfortunately, Van Alst’s quick progress in the opening laps of the season’s sixth race was soon erased after being collected in an early race accident.

Fuming about losing an opportunity to gain points on championship leader Andrés Pérez de Lara, the Anderson, Ind. native has since cooled off and looks ahead to Friday’s Zinsser SmartCoat 150.

“Iowa Speedway was certainly disappointing,” recalled Van Alst. “We had such a good car and the guys on this Greg Van Alst Motorsports busted their humps to make sure we could go to Iowa and contend for a top-10 finish.

“We certainly started that trend but got turned and collected in an unnecessary crash. We have no choice but to pick up the pieces and see if we can do some damage control on Friday evening.”

Van Alst, a former ARCA | CRA Series champion, is back at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, aiming to build on his impressive top-15 finish from 2022. Nearly two years ago, he showcased his skills on a road course, a rare occurrence for him.

With Van Alst continuing to enhance his road course craft at the 2.258-mile road course, the former

ARCA Menards Series winner was able to keep his nose clean and deliver a respectable 12th-place finish.

“I have learned a lot about road course racing over the last two years,” explained Van Alst. “Mid-Ohio has some technicalities, but overall, I found it a smooth road course. I just need to get better, and I hope to be able to showcase my road course improvement on Friday afternoon.”

Even though it’s been nearly 24 months since Van Alst last visited Mid-Ohio, he hopes to pick up right where he left off.

“It’s going to be hot on Friday, so I am taking that into consideration,” Van Alst continued. “I am hoping we are able to get back up to speed quickly. The goal is just to keep the car on the race track and finish the race. If we can do that, we should have a good finish.”

This weekend, the family-owned team welcomes back CB Fabricating as the primary partner of the team’s No. 35 Ford Fusion for 42 laps of action.

Headquartered in Anderson, Ind., CB Fabricating offers a complete list of fabricating from design, laser cutting, CNC punching, forming, welding, powder coating, and assembly.

In addition to CB Fabricating, Zaki Ali (Injury & Criminal Trial Attorney; 1-888-649-1-ALI) and Top Choice Fence will serve as associate partners for Van Alst’s 46th career ARCA start.

“Mid-Ohio would not be possible this weekend without our traditional long-time partners,” explained Van Alst. “Chris (Barkdull) and CB Fabricating’s continued support means a great deal to this race team. Zaki

Ali and Top Choice Fence have also been around for all six races this year.

“It takes help, as much help as you can get to make it to these ARCA tracks each week. I’m thankful to our partners and hope we can give them some time in the spotlight at Mid-Ohio.”

With seven races complete, Van Alst remains second in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, 33 points behind championship leader Andrés Pérez de Lara, with 12 races remaining this year.

Since 2002, Van Alst has 45 ARCA Menards Series starts to his credit, one win, five top-five and 21 top-10 finishes.

For more on Greg Van Alst and Greg Van Alst Motorsports, please visit GregVanAlst.com, like them on Facebook (Van Alst Motorsports) and follow him on X | Twitter (@GregVanAlst35).

The Zinsser SmartCoat 150 (42 laps | 94.84 miles) is the eighth of 20 races on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice and General Tire pole qualifying is set for Friday, June 21, from 12:35 p.m. – 1:35 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag later in the day shortly after 6:00 p.m. ET. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2). ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the day’s festivities.

Greg Van Alst PR