KANSAS CITY, Kan: Greg Van Alst needs some luck in the ARCA Menards Series and Kansas Speedway might be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Van Alst and his Greg Van Alst Motorsports team trek to Kansas Speedway, the site of his first career top-10 finish last year hoping to rekindle the magic and put his 2022 ARCA Menards Series season back on track.
In the series’ most recent race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Van Alst once again proved how fast his No. 35 CB Fabricating Chevrolet SS was drafting from his mid-pack starting position based on 2021 car owner points to inside the top-five.
Unfortunately, Van Alst got shuffled late in the race and with the event cut short due to time constraints, he ran out of laps to climb back through the field and settled for a season-best 11th place finish.
With the path steered in the right direction, Van Alst eyes Saturday afternoon’s Dutch Boy 150 as the primary opportunity to not only capture a top-10 finish but earn some much-needed ARCA Menards Series championship points.
“We are feeling really good about this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway,” said Van Alst. “I feel like this is a track that our experience will benefit our team on Saturday afternoon. We’ve learned a lot about our intermediate program over the past year and I’m eager to get on the track to get a good gauge on where we stand.”
Scoring the first of three top-10 finishes at Kansas Speedway last May, Van Alst says returning to the site of what was then the best effort of his ARCA career gives his all-volunteer team some much-welcomed momentum in the fourth ARCA race of the 2022 season.
“It is huge for us to return to Kansas Speedway,” added Van Alst. “The race last fall didn’t go our way, but we had a mechanical issue that hindered our performance. In the spring, we were competitive and I feel like it showed the other competitors and teams that we can bring speed to any type of race track.
“Reflecting on last year gives us the confidence to shoot for a good day.”
With an average finish of 23rd after three races this season, Van Alst has made the climb to 13th in the championship standings and just six points outside the top-10.
Another good run at the Kansas City, Kansas facility would continue a steady uphill climb as Van Alst hopes to challenge for the series championship. Entering Kansas, Van Alst is 49 points behind championship leader Rajah Caruth.
“We are disappointed with the results we have had so far,” explained Van Alst. “We have had two finishes out of our control that has set us back but not out. We are going to continue to grind to work ourselves back into contention for the season championship.”
As for his goals for Saturday afternoon’s 100-lap contest, Van Alst would like to improve on his sixth-place finish from last year and post his second career top-five ARCA Menards Series run.
“We are hoping for a top-five finish on Saturday,” sounded Van Alst. “We are taking the car we took there in the fall and have found the issues that caused us to struggle at that race.
“We hope these things allow us to be fast right off the trailer. With practice and qualifying being combined on Saturday morning, it’s important for us to make the most of that track time so we can get a good starting position from there.
“From there, it’s just running our race and staying out of trouble and hoping that when push comes to shove, we’re in a position to capitalize on exactly what we’re going to Kansas to do.”
Chris Barkdull’s 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 Fusion.
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.
“Kansas was special last year for a lot of reasons and it was great to carry CB Fabricating to its first top-10 in ARCA competition with our team,” recalled Van Alst. “Like Talladega, Kansas can prove to be a pinnacle race for our small team and I’m thankful to have the support of Chris and CB Fabricating.”
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 15th career ARCA start.
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 Twitter (@GregVanAlst35).
For more on CB Fabricating, please visit CBFabricating.com and like them on Facebook (CB Fabricating).
The Dutch Boy 150 (100 laps | 150 miles) is the fourth of 20 races on the 2022 ARCA Menards Series schedule. A combined practice and qualifying session begins on Saturday, May 14, 2022, from 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with the Motor Racing Network (MRN) managing the radio waves beginning at 1:00 p.m. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (CT).
