BROWNSBURG, Ind: After a tough outing at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last weekend, Greg Van Alst and his team look to his hometown race of Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for an opportunity to return to normalcy in Friday night’s Reese’s 200.
Van Alst returned to the 2.5-mile triangular track of Pocono last weekend hoping to leave a dreadful 2021 experience in the past, but after producing strong practice results on Thursday, the black cloud returned over the team’s head on Friday which left the team scrambling to put a backup car together and complete in the General Tire Delivers 200.
A long race that was cut short by darkness left Van Alst with a less than pleasing 15th-place finish – but the trouble did not stop in Long Pond.
Trying to return home, Van Alst’s truck which hauls his No. 35 CB Fabricating Ford Fusion broke down costing the team precious time and even more frustration.
Remaining cool, calm and collected through it all, Van Alst has had some time to reflect and is poised to stay focused and humble when the bad days try to overtake.
“It hasn’t been a good few days, so I’m hoping that Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park will be a lot kinder to us because we deserve it,” said Van Alst. “I am excited to be going to a track I am very familiar with.”
While the immensely popular half-mile short track returning to the ARCA Menards Series schedule for the first time in a few years, Van Alst will be one of a few drivers who have prior experience at the half-mile oval and he is hoping his Super Late Model success will transition to a 3,400-pound stock car on Friday night.
Thinking back to prior tracks the popular ARCA driver has turned laps in Super Late Models before, Van Alst’s first reaction was to rewind back to Winchester Speedway last summer where he earned a career-best runner-up finish in the ARCA Menards Series.
“Last year at Winchester, I felt like my experience at the track was better than having a good car,” added Van Alst. “We were able to work on car set up immediately versus me getting used to the track and it showed up in the end results, so that is our plan of attack this weekend.”
Just past the halfway point in the ARCA Menards Series schedule, the Anderson, Ind. native realizes that there is still plenty of racing left, but he wants results to coincide with the remaining races and the 200-lap race on Friday night is a prime opportunity to hit the reboot button.
“We are struggling through this rough patch of races and circumstances, but we will persevere,” sounded Van Alst. “All we can do is work a little harder and a little more. We need to get back to our top-10s and I think Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park is a great place to reboot our season.
“After the last few races, I just need a solid race. A top-10 is what we need and all we need to get back on track. If we can also gain ground on our short track program it will be a success.”
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.
“We are just past the halfway point of the 2022 ARCA Menards Series season and the consistency we have shown over the last two months is the type of pace that will keep Chris and everyone on this team in it for the long haul,” expressed Van Alst. “Yes, the last two races have been a little rocky, but it’s very hard to have a perfect season without any bumps in the road.
“We have even bigger goals that we’d like to conquer in the second half of the season and I know that keeps Chris and I excited about the path and longevity of our team. With every race complete, even if it is not the finish we are hoping for, it’s a small victory for our team knowing the large mountain that is still left to climb. 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 22nd career ARCA start.
Entering Indianapolis, Van Alst sits a career-high fifth in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, eight points out of fourth and 72 markers in the arrears to championship leader Rajah Caruth.
“Step by step and with a little luck, I hope we will soon find ourselves a part of the championship picture,” sounded Van Alst. “We have nine races to propel ourselves forward and make an amazing comeback. It’s not going to come without some luck and strong finishes, but we are not going to go down without a fight. This is a tough series and we are still proud of where we are at.
“We still stay focused.”
Before turning attention to the race on Friday, Van Alst will join a slew of his ARCA competitors, media personalities and NASCAR drivers in the Reese’s Celebrity Pro-Am Go-Kart Challenge at Speedway Indoor Karting on Thursday, July 28. The first race of the night will go green just past 8:00 pm ET.
The star-studded event will see professional drivers take on members of the media, local celebrities, and race fans in a series of “qualifying races” that will see the three fastest professionals, the three fastest media members and celebrities and the three fastest race fans all compete in a special “feature event.”
All winners will receive a special prize pack from ARCA, Speedway Indoor Karting, and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Fans can participate in the Reese’s Celebrity Pro-Am Go-Kart Challenge for just $32 per race. Proceeds from the night’s activities will benefit Paws and Think.
Speedway Indoor Karting is located at 1067 N. Main Street in Speedway, Indiana.
“I’m always down for some good competition and Thursday night’s Reese’s Celebrity Pro-Am Go-Kart Challenge is definitely going to provide that,” Van Alst mentioned. “It’s for a great cause with a lot of good people, so I hope the race fans turn out and help make it memorable.”
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 Reese’s 200 (200 laps | 137 miles) is the 11th of 20 races on the 2022 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins on Friday, July 29, 2022, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying kicks off at 2:15 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and the FOX Sports App beginning at 6:00 p.m. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).
