BRISTOL, Tenn: On the strength of two top-six finishes in his last two ARCA Menards Series races at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway and Michigan International Speedway respectively, Greg Van Alst and his Greg Van Alst Motorsports team trek to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway for Thursday night’s Bush’s Beans 200 looking to pull off an upset.
A career-short tracker from the Midwest, Van Alst has showcased his strength and talent in Thunder Valley, particularly in the ARCA | CRA Series, where the Anderson, Ind. native led laps and finished second at Bristol last year.
Feeling a little robbed of what would have been the biggest Super Late Model victory of his career, Van Alst returns to the “World’s Fastest Short Track” in an ARCA car hoping to finish what he started last fall.
“I cannot tell you how excited I am about this week,” said Van Alst. “We have been working on this car and getting it prepped for weeks and it’s almost here. I just want to get on track with our No. 35 CB Fabricating Ford Fusion and see what happens.”
Van Alst, 40, is bringing the same race car he scored a career-best second-place finish in July when he was edged by Ty Gibbs on a late-race restart.
The car acquired from Chad Bryant Racing has proven to be a worthy addition to the Greg Van Alst Motorsports fleet and the driver is hopeful it can continue its pace for 200 laps inside the “Last Great Coliseum” for the combined ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East contest.
“There have been so many people, including Chad Bryant himself that has helped our program get up and off the ground and I’m indebted to them all,” Van Alst continued. “When we started this journey, we weren’t sure what to expect.
“This year, we’ve turned heads, been fast and came up one position shy of winning a race. We have two more chances this season to get in Victory Lane and I hope Thursday night is our night.”
When asked if there will be a huge difference between a Super Late Model and an ARCA car at Bristol, Van Alst there are some things that are different, but the overall mindset and passion remain the same.
“Of course, you cannot drive a Super Late Model like you would an ARCA car and vice-versa, but having a ton of laps in a Super Late Model will help immensely for practice on Thursday,” Van Alst quipped.
“We just need to make sure we find ourselves in a good position to work on the balance and stay ahead of the track changes and be mindful of who we are racing and at what costs. I want to win, but if we can’t – it’s about bringing home the best finish possible for our partners, team, family, friends and fans.”
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 Ford.
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.
For the fourth consecutive race, not only is Van Alst racing for a fourth top-10 finish of the year on Thursday night but awareness too.
CB Fabricating president Chris Barkdull was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and will utilize the ARCA event to bring attentiveness and awareness, especially during Prostate Cancer Awareness month to the disease as Barkdull continues treatment.
“After Winchester, Chris would not miss Michigan and we brought him home a sixth-place finish, but we want so much more, especially during Prostate Cancer Awareness month,” remarked Van Alst. “Chris will be with our team at Bristol and I keep reminding him that none of this would have been possible without him. He’s just not an investor or a partner in this thing – he’s family.
“While we are focused on performance, we are fully invested in awareness too, especially during the month of September. This is important to Chris to do his part to educate the public and that is exactly what he is going to do, and we are happy to keep using the race car to our advantage.”
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 10th career ARCA start.
Veteran crew chief Jim Long will return to the pit box for Van Alst after being unable to be with the team at Winchester and Michigan.
Following Bristol, Van Alst’s next ARCA Menards Series race is the season finale at Kanas Speedway for the Reese’s 150 on Sat., Oct. 23, 2021.
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 Bush’s Beans 200 (200 laps | 100 miles) is the eighth of eight races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series East schedule. Practice begins Thurs., Sept. 16 with a one-hour practice session from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. A timed General Tire pole qualifying session is set for a short time later at 4:00 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 6:30 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM channel 391, online channel 981). ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the day’s festivities. All times are local (ET).
The Bush’s Beans 200 (200 laps | 100 miles) is the 18th of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins Thurs., Sept. 16 with a one-hour practice session from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. A timed General Tire pole qualifying session is set for a short time later at 4:00 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 6:30 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM channel 391, online channel 981). ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the day’s festivities. All times are local (ET).
