CLERMONT, Ind: Greg Van Alst will be busy this weekend.
The Anderson, Ind. native will not only continue to chase an ARCA Menards Series championship in Friday night’s Circle City 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, but the avid racer will also make a return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and compete on Saturday afternoon’s Pennzoil 250 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
It may seem that Van Alst will be running around the grounds of the famed Indianapolis short track in complete chaos, but rest assured, Van Alst has spent the past couple of weeks making sure his busy weekend will launch without a hitch.
“It’s going to be busy, but I am ready,” Van Alst said with a chuckle. “This is a big weekend for me, our team, and our partners. I am running both the ARCA and Xfinity races this weekend, and we will also have a second car at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
“It’s a lot for sure, but I’m fortunate enough to have some good people around me that have helped make sure this weekend goes smoothly. The goal is simple: to have strong efforts in both races and make sure our second car sees the checkered flag so we can place that program in a good place for more ARCA races later this season.”
Van Alst is returning to Lucas Oil Raceway set for his third ARCA Menards Series start at the 0.686-mile short track. After finishing 10th in his ARCA Menards Series debut in 2022, the veteran ARCA driver returned a year later and picked up back-to-back top-10 finishes with a seventh-place finish last August ahead of his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut the same night with Young’s Motorsports.
With an emphasis on his ARCA short track program this year, Van Alst hopes his family-owned team can continue progressing at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
“I’m optimistic about Friday night,” added Van Alst. “It’s vital for us to have a good run and to keep us within grasp of the ARCA Menards Series championship. We’re at the halfway point of the 2024 season, and while our year has been productive – we still have work to do.
“We have a good idea where we need to fire off on Friday afternoon; we just need to ensure we keep going forward and not rolling backward. Nonetheless, I’m just excited to get the weekend underway.”
Once the season’s 10th ARCA Menards Series race is complete, Van Alst will turn his full attention to his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series race, but first for SS-GreenLight Racing at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“It’s been my dream to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” explained Van Alst. “As an Indiana native and a race car driver, I do not think there is anything more glorious than being able to race at such an iconic venue. I’m grateful to Chris (Barkdull) and CB Fabricating for stepping up to the plate and helping make more dreams come true.
“I’ll start the day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and get things right at the big track with practice and such. Then, I’ll rush over to IRP and get in the ARCA car. I will try to get some laps in practice before qualifying and then focus on 200 laps of racing.
“Of course, we want a good night on Friday, but there’s equal excitement about Saturday, too. I want a strong and steady weekend while showcasing to everyone in the NASCAR Xfinity Series that I can get the job done.”
Zaki Ali (Injury & Criminal Trial Attorney; 1-888-649-1-ALI) has returned to the winning ARCA Menards Series operation as the primary partner of the team’s No. 35 Ford for the highly contested 200-lap race on Friday night.
In addition to Zaki Ali, CB Fabricating and Top Choice Fence will serve as associate partners for Van Alst’s 48th career ARCA start.
With nine races complete, Van Alst remains second in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, 40 points behind championship leader Andrés Pérez de Lara, with 10 races remaining this year.
Since 2002, Van Alst has 47 ARCA Menards Series starts to his credit, one win, five top-five and 23 top-10 finishes.
Isaac Johnson returns in a second car for Greg Van Alst Motorsports at Lucas Oil.
Johnson will drive the No. 34 Endress | Hauser Ford for his third career ARCA start. Johnson will also return to the organization next weekend at Salem (Ind.) Speedway and Kansas Speedway in September.
“Going back to a track I’ve run before [IRP] will be a great stepping stone into the other two races,” said Johnson. “Ideally, getting top-10s in all three races is my main goal. Anything beyond that would be a bonus and create a ton of momentum for 2025.”
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 Circle City 200 (200 laps | 137 miles) is the 10th of 20 races on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins Friday, July 19, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying in a timed session immediately follows beginning at 2:30 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag later in the day shortly after 5:30 p.m. ET. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM channel 391 | online channel 981) handling the radio waves. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).
