AVONDALE, Ariz: By all accounts, Greg Van Alst is your current ARCA Menards Series points leader.
ARCA drivers Gus Dean and Thomas Annunziata are not scheduled to participate in Friday night’s General Tire 150 at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, third-place Daytona finisher Van Alst will assume that role when the garage opens on Friday morning.
The Anderson, Ind. native knows, however, that he’ll need to leave the 1.0-mile with a solid finish to keep the series’ lead intact ahead of their next scheduled premier race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April.
Van Alst returns to the desert looking to build on his impressive performance at the Avondale, Ariz. facility last year.
Entering the 2023 race as the series points lead after his dramatic last-lap pass in the season-opening race at Daytona, Van Alst contended for his second straight ARCA win, but a botched late-race restart left Van Alst with a 10th-place result at the checkered flag.
A year later, Van Alst is confident ahead of his Phoenix return and looks forward to a strong finish.
“I’m looking forward to Phoenix this weekend,” said Van Alst. “We are bringing a competitive piece, and we have the opportunity to keep the points lead close to our chest. We had a good car last year, but we got shuffled on that late restart and ran out of laps to recover.
“This year, I am looking forward to applying what I have learned and will continue to learn throughout practice and qualifying, which will put our team in a good place when the green flag drops.”
Van Alst’s No. 35 Ford Mustang has a sweet new look ahead for the season’s second race.
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Additionally, CB Fabricating, Zaki Ali (Injury & Criminal Trial Attorney; 1-888-649-1-ALI), Tile Dynamics LLC., Heartstrings Foundation, The Sandwich Spot (Phoenix, Ariz.), Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems USA, RJ Norton Jr. and Top Choice Fence have all contributed to making the Phoenix race possible.
“I am honored to represent several Phoenix-based companies this weekend,” added Van Alst. Our car looks excellent; without everyone’s support, we probably wouldn’t be making the trip. But, we will be there on Friday, ready to deliver and showcase our thanks.”
Greg Van Alst Motorsports will field two entries in the ARCA Menards Series for the second consecutive race. Midwest racing standout and fellow Martinsville, Ind. native Isaac Johnson will drive the No. 34 entry for his Phoenix debut on Friday night.
Johnson qualified his No. 34 Ford Mustang ninth at Daytona and maintained pace for a top-10 finish but was swept in a last-lap crash and finished a frustrating 18th.
Phoenix is a shot at redemption for Johnson.
“Isaac did a good job at Daytona,” explained Van Alst. “He learned a lot and kept himself in the hunt, but he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and was collected in that last-lap melee. He’s headed to Phoenix this weekend to get more seat time and be an asset to the Greg Van Alst Motorsports program.”
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).
For more on Isaac Johnson, please like him on Facebook (Isaac Johnson Racing), or follow him on Instagram (@isaacjohnsonracing), TikTok (@isaacjohnsonracing) and X | Twitter (@isaac72johnson).
The General Tire 150 (150 laps | 150 miles) is the second of 20 races on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins Fri., March 8, with a forty-five-minute session from 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Group qualifying will begin a short time later at 2:30 p.m. The field will take the green flag shortly after 6:00 p.m. 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 (MT).
