CONCORD, N.C.: On the heels of his first career top-10 finish in ARCA Menards Series competition earlier this month at Kansas Speedway, Greg Van Alst and his family-owned team invade Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway with plenty of goals for Saturday night’s General Tire 150.
The 2019 ARCA CRA champion is poised to continue his season turnaround after likely top-five finishes in his open two races at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway were unraveled because of circumstances beyond his control.
In the series’ most recent trip to Kansas, Van Alst avoided disaster at the start when reigning series champion Bret Holmes lost control of his race car in front of Van Alst forcing him to take evasive action to miss the spinning No. 23 Chevrolet.
Luckily for the Anderson, Ind. native, the first lap moment proved to be his biggest worry of the day after he guided his No. 35 CB Fabricating Chevrolet to a career-best seventh place after starting eighth.
The next day, he also won the Reese’s Sweet Move of the Race with his impressive skills avoiding Holmes.
With momentum from Kansas, Van Alst enters Charlotte much like Kansas a track that he doesn’t have much experience at. Luckily for the small business owner, he and his Jim Long-led team participated in an open-test session at the 1.5-mile speedway nearly two weeks ago where he negotiated the 11th quickest time overall after turning 29 laps.
“I’m so thankful we tested Charlotte,” said Van Alst. “You know having the opportunity to test at a race track before you go back to the race will help us tremendously. We have a good setup for where we want to be when we unload. Then, it will just be some fine-tuning during practice on Saturday and hoping for the best when that green flag drops.”
Eyeing back-to-back top-10 finishes in ARCA competition, the avid racer believes it will be a race were keeping up with the race track will determine who can have a chance to capture the checkered flag.
“I think a lot of Saturday night is going to come down to handling and who can get over the bumps good,” added Van Alst. “We continued to get better with the grip and maneuverability of our No. 35 CB Fabricating Chevrolet throughout the test, but unfortunately we ran out of time.
“You need to get over those bumps so you can have the grip and speed you need to carry down the straightaways. Charlotte is a remarkably busy track when it comes to lights and its surroundings, so even I think concentration will be a factor.
“It’s going to be a challenging night, but a lot of fun too.”
CB Fabricating, a longtime partner with Greg Van Alst Motorsports has boosted its commitment to the team and will continue its role as the primary marketing partner of Van Alst’s No. 35 Chevrolet.
Headquartered in Anderson, Ind., CB Fabricating offers a complete list of fabricating from design, laser cutting, CNC punching, forming, welding, powder coating, and assembly.
Their 26,000 square foot facility allows them to service the needs of many different industries. Everything from the Automotive, agricultural, aquatic, medical, transportation, electrical enclosures, and much more.
Not only is Van Alst racing for a top-10 finish on Saturday night, but awareness too.
CB Fabricating president Chris Barkdull was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and will utilize the ARCA event through the in-car camera to bring attentiveness and awareness to the disease as Barkdull begins treatment soon.
“We would not be racing at Charlotte – heck any of these ARCA races this season without Chris,” added Van Alst. “He’s just not an investor or a partner in this thing – he’s family. When he was diagnosed he was determined to do his part to educate the public and that is exactly what he is going to do.”
In addition to CB Fabricating, Top Choice Fence, Norton Transport, KRJ Race Products and Lintz Creative will serve as associate marketing partners for Van Alst’s seventh career ARCA start.
Additional specifics on Greg Van Alst Motorsports’ 2021 ARCA Menards Series program are forthcoming, including a detailed series schedule.
For more on Greg Van Alst and Greg Van Alst Motorsports, please stay tuned for a new website, but like them on Facebook (Van Alst Motorsports) and follow him on Twitter (@GregVanAlst35).
For more on CB Fabricating, please visit CBFabricating.com and like them on Facebook (CB Fabricating).
The General Tire 150 (100 laps | 150 miles) is the sixth of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. A combined practice and qualifying session begins on Sat., May 29 with a forty-five-minute practice session from 4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 7:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).
