Greg Van Alst Bio
Gregory Michael Van Alst (born July 1, 1981) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. A long-time competitor in short-track and ARCA competition, he has also made part-time starts across NASCAR’s three national series, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He is the owner and driver of Greg Van Alst Motorsports, and is best known for his first career ARCA victory at Daytona in 2023.
Early Life and Background
Gregory Michael Van Alst was born on July 1, 1981, in Anderson, Indiana. Growing up in the heart of the Midwest, he was surrounded by a strong short-track racing culture that helped spark his interest in stock car competition. From a young age, he gravitated toward late model and oval racing, eventually working his way into local competition in and around his home state.
Van Alst’s early career was built on the regional short-track scene, where he developed his skills driving late model machinery. He gained valuable experience racing against veterans at familiar Midwest venues, building the race craft and mechanical understanding that would later support his climb into NASCAR. His roots in grassroots racing have remained central to his identity as both a driver and team owner.
Path to NASCAR
Van Alst’s path to NASCAR began in the ARCA Re/Max Series, where he made his debut in 2002. Running three events that season at Kentucky, Chicagoland, and Salem behind the wheel of a No. 01 Chevrolet fielded by Robert Locke, he recorded a best finish of fifteenth at Chicagoland. After a long stretch away from the series, he returned nearly two decades later with his own operation.
He re-entered the ARCA Menards Series in 2021, contesting eight races for his own team in the No. 35 and posting three top-ten finishes, including a runner-up result at Winchester. By 2022, he was running the full ARCA Menards Series schedule, finishing fifth in the final standings with eleven top-ten finishes. These results established him as a regular contender and opened the door to opportunities in NASCAR’s national touring series.
Greg Van Alst Career
Early Career (2002-2018)
Following his 2002 ARCA Re/Max Series debut, Van Alst spent many years competing in regional and short-track events across the Midwest. He built a résumé that included regional championships and steady late model results, with two notable titles in CRA-affiliated competition. Those years allowed him to refine his driving, manage his own equipment, and prepare for a return to national-level racing.
During this stretch, Van Alst also launched his own team operation, which would eventually carry his name. The experience of running both the business and driving side of a race team shaped his long-term approach to the sport, and laid the groundwork for his later full-time ARCA effort and his NASCAR entries.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2021-2024)
Van Alst’s breakthrough at the national level came with Greg Van Alst Motorsports in 2022, when he ran his first full ARCA Menards Series season and finished fifth in points. He collected eleven top-ten finishes, with a best result of fifth at Charlotte Motor Speedway, signaling that he could compete consistently against established teams.
His biggest moment arrived in 2023 at Daytona, where he scored his first career ARCA Menards Series victory. Taking the lead on the final lap after a pass on Jason White, he delivered a win that elevated his profile and gave his team a signature result. He returned in 2024, opening the year with a third-place finish at Daytona and running near the front of the standings before shifting back to a part-time schedule due to limited sponsorship and manufacturer support, ultimately finishing eleventh in points.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Debut (2023-2024)
Van Alst made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2023 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Alpha Prime Racing. After a near-spin in qualifying, his race ended early with a crash, and he finished thirty-eighth. A second start at New Hampshire produced another thirty-eighth-place result after brake issues, but the experience gave him a foothold in the series.
In 2024, SS-Green Light Racing fielded Van Alst for his first Xfinity start of the season at Indianapolis, where he finished thirty-second after an ignition problem. Additional outings at Darlington, Bristol, Martinsville, and Phoenix followed, with a best finish of twenty-sixth at Phoenix. In December 2024, Joey Gase Motorsports announced plans for him to run a majority of the 2025 Xfinity Series schedule, though he later reduced that commitment to focus on his Truck Series team.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Era (2023-Present)
Van Alst announced his entry into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on August 6, 2023, revealing a debut at IRP with Young’s Motorsports in the No. 20 truck. Days later, the team confirmed he would run the rest of the 2023 season. At Talladega, he suffered a fractured vertebrae in a multi-truck accident, an injury that tested his resolve but did not end his career ambitions.
On July 7, 2025, Van Alst announced he would field his own team in four Truck Series races during the 2025 season, returning to the seat as an owner-driver. He continues to balance his own Truck Series effort with select Xfinity Series appearances, all while operating Greg Van Alst Motorsports from his Indiana base.
Driving Style and Strengths
Van Alst is known as a steady, mistake-free competitor whose strengths shine on the larger speedways and superspeedways. His ARCA victory at Daytona and his competitive runs at Kansas, Michigan, and Charlotte highlight his comfort in traffic and on abrasive surfaces. As an owner-driver, he places a strong emphasis on consistency, mechanical reliability, and disciplined pit strategy, traits that have helped his small team punch above its weight in national series competition.
Notable Races and Milestones
His 2023 ARCA win at Daytona, decided on the final lap, stands as the defining moment of his career. He has also recorded top-five and top-ten runs at Charlotte, Winchester, Michigan, and Kansas, and has represented his family-run organization in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Greg Van Alst Career Wins
Greg Van Alst’s career win list is led by his 2023 ARCA Menards Series victory at Daytona. Combined with regional championships earned in CRA-affiliated late model competition, his win résumé reflects steady progression from short tracks to NASCAR’s national series.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Van Alst’s first national-series win came at Daytona in 2023, when he made a final-lap pass on Jason White to take the checkered flag. Earlier in his ARCA career, he posted three top-ten finishes in a partial 2021 campaign, including a second at Winchester, and followed that with eleven top-ten efforts in a full 2022 season that ended with a fifth-place ranking in points. His 2024 campaign opened with a third-place run at Daytona before sponsorship constraints pushed him back to part-time status.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside of national series competition, Van Alst has earned regional honors, including the ARCA/CRA Super Series Championship in 2019 and the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Championship in 2014. These titles provided the foundation for his later move into the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR.
Greg Van Alst Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Van Alst’s racing roots are tied to the Midwest short-track scene around Anderson, Indiana, where regional stock car competition has long been a family and community tradition. His own team, Greg Van Alst Motorsports, reflects a family-driven approach to the sport, with operations built around the same grassroots ethic that shaped his early career.
Personal Life
Van Alst continues to live and work out of his home base in the Midwest, balancing his duties as a team owner with his role as a driver. Details about his immediate family, including any spouse or children, are not publicly confirmed in available sources.
2025 Season Performance
Going into the 2025 season, Van Alst divided his focus between the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In July 2025, he confirmed that Greg Van Alst Motorsports would field four Truck Series entries across the year, a measured schedule that allowed him to manage costs while staying competitive in a national series.
He had originally planned to run the majority of the Xfinity Series schedule with Joey Gase Motorsports in the No. 35, but later downsized that plan to concentrate on his Truck Series program. The decision reflected his dual role as driver and owner, and his preference for keeping his own team as the central focus of his 2025 campaign.
With an established ARCA victory at Daytona on his résumé and continued national-series seat time, Van Alst’s 2025 outlook centers on building consistency, attracting sponsorship, and positioning Greg Van Alst Motorsports for a larger schedule in future seasons.
