Greg Van Alst Bio
Gregory Michael Van Alst (born July 1, 1981) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. A longtime short-track competitor, he has built his career through regional late model racing and climbed into NASCAR’s national series while fielding his own equipment.
Van Alst is the owner of Greg Van Alst Motorsports and last competed part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 35 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. He has also made starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, including a planned 2025 campaign with Joey Gase Motorsports driving the No. 35 Chevrolet SS alongside Scott Osteen.
Early Life and Background
Gregory Michael Van Alst was born on July 1, 1981, in Anderson, Indiana, in the United States. Anderson sits in Madison County, a region with deep ties to Midwest short-track racing, and the local short tracks provided a steady stream of weekly programs for young drivers learning the craft.
Growing up around the Indiana short-track scene, Van Alst developed his skills on the region’s pavement ovals before stepping into the driver’s seat of his own race car. He began his racing career in 2002, balancing seat time with the work of building a competitive operation from a small base.
Path to NASCAR
Van Alst’s first national-level opportunity came in the ARCA Re/Max Series in 2002, when he ran three events at Kentucky Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, and Salem Speedway, driving the No. 01 Chevrolet for Robert Locke. His best finish of that debut season came at Chicagoland, where he placed fifteenth.
After a long stretch focused on regional and late model racing, Van Alst returned to the ARCA Menards Series in 2021 running his own No. 35 entry, collecting three top-ten finishes across eight starts. He has since worked his way through the ARCA ladder, debuted in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2023, and reached the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023, completing his climb through the national touring divisions.
Greg Van Alst Career
Early Career (2002–2020)
Van Alst spent nearly two decades sharpening his race craft on regional short tracks and in the ARCA Menards Series, where he had only a brief three-race stint in 2002 before stepping back from national competition. During that period, he built a reputation as a disciplined short-track racer capable of running up front in weekly and tour-level events.
His regional résumé includes a 2014 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series championship and a 2019 ARCA/CRA Super Series championship, both of which underscored his consistency on the Midwest pavement scene. Those titles helped establish the foundation for his return to the ARCA Menards Series in 2021.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2021–2024)
Van Alst returned to the ARCA Menards Series in 2021 with his own team, running eight races and posting three top-ten finishes, including a runner-up result at Winchester Speedway. He also made his ARCA Menards Series East debut that year at Bristol, finishing fifteenth.
In 2022, Van Alst ran the ARCA Menards Series full-time for the first time and finished fifth in the final points standings. He earned eleven top-ten finishes with a best result of fifth at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and he also made his ARCA Menards Series West debut in a combination event at Phoenix, finishing 36th after a handling issue.
Van Alst scored his first career ARCA victory in 2023 at Daytona International Speedway, completing a last-lap pass on Jason White to take the win. He also posted tenth-place finishes in two of the next three races before a crash with Connor Mosack at Charlotte left him twenty-second. Originally planning to run full-time, he trimmed his schedule for the remainder of the season because of financial limitations.
Van Alst opened 2024 with a third-place run at Daytona and ran full-time in the ARCA Menards Series until July 20, when he announced he was reverting to part-time status because of limited sponsorship and manufacturer support. At the time of the announcement, he sat third in points, and he later returned to race at Bristol and Kansas, ultimately finishing eleventh in the final standings.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Debut (2023–2025)
Van Alst made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on April 22, 2023, at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Alpha Prime Racing, where an early crash left him with a 38th-place finish. He also ran the following race at New Hampshire but finished last after brake issues.
In 2024, SS-Green Light Racing announced Van Alst for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway round, where he finished 32nd due to an ignition issue. He added an additional start with the team at Darlington, finishing 29th after starting last, and made three more appearances at Bristol, Martinsville, and Phoenix, where his best finish of the year was 26th at Phoenix.
On December 16, 2024, it was announced that Van Alst would run the majority of the 2025 Xfinity Series season with Joey Gase Motorsports in the No. 35 entry. He later reduced that schedule to concentrate on his Craftsman Truck Series program.
Greg Van Alst Motorsports Era (2023–Present)
Van Alst expanded into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on August 6, 2023, when he announced a Truck Series debut at Indianapolis Raceway Park driving the No. 20 for Young’s Motorsports. A few days later, the deal was extended through the rest of the 2023 season, and at Talladega Superspeedway he suffered fractured vertebrae in a multi-truck accident.
On July 7, 2025, Van Alst revealed plans to field his own team in four Truck Series races during the 2025 season. He is racing the No. 35 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Greg Van Alst Motorsports, balancing driving duties with ownership responsibilities while running a selective national schedule.
Driving Style and Strengths
Van Alst is a patient, short-track-trained racer whose strengths show on the intermediate and superspeedway ovals that ARCA and NASCAR visit most often. His background in late model stock cars has given him a strong feel for tire management and long-run pace, both of which were visible during his 2023 ARCA victory run at Daytona.
Notable Races and Milestones
His signature result is the 2023 ARCA Menards Series win at Daytona, sealed with a last-lap pass on Jason White. Other milestone moments include his first full-time ARCA season in 2022, his Truck Series debut at IRP in 2023, and his 2024 third-place run at Daytona before reverting to part-time status.
Greg Van Alst Career Wins
Greg Van Alst’s verified national-series win came in 2023 at Daytona International Speedway in the ARCA Menards Series, the BRANDT 200. He has also collected regional titles at the Late Model level, including a 2014 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series championship and a 2019 ARCA/CRA Super Series championship.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Van Alst has one ARCA Menards Series victory, recorded at Daytona in 2023 on a last-lap pass. He has been a regular top-ten presence in the series since 2021, with a career-best championship finish of fifth in 2022 and a strong run in 2024 that saw him sit third in points before he shifted to part-time status.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond ARCA, Van Alst has earned regional recognition through the 2014 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series title and the 2019 ARCA/CRA Super Series championship, results that established his credentials on the Midwest short-track circuit.
2025 Season Performance
Van Alst entered 2025 with a part-time schedule spread across the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In the Truck Series, he announced on July 7, 2025, that Greg Van Alst Motorsports would field the No. 35 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in four races, allowing him to keep building his own team while racing against established national entries.
In the Xfinity Series, he had been slated to run the majority of the season with Joey Gase Motorsports in the No. 35 Chevrolet SS alongside Scott Osteen, but he later reduced that schedule to focus more on his Truck Series program. The 2025 plan reflects a deliberate balance between on-track performance and the financial realities of running a small, owner-driver operation.
Heading into the remainder of 2025, Van Alst is using a selective calendar to chase stage points, solid finishes, and additional seat time at the national level. The continued growth of Greg Van Alst Motorsports, paired with consistent ARCA-level results, has positioned him as a steady owner-driver working to expand his footprint in NASCAR.