Just a few weeks away from the ARCA Menards Series annual season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Indiana short track racer Greg Van Alst and his team Van Alst Motorsports are looking to double down after their ‘Cinderella Story’ from 2023.
With teams set for the preseason test at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, Van Alst Motorsports announced that they would be expanding to two cars ahead of the 2024 ARCA Menards Series season.
Joining the team owner is Martinsville, IN native Isaac Johnson who will pilot the No. 34 Ford Mustang as Van Alst will continue his duties behind the wheel of the No. 35 Chevrolet SS. The goal for this weekend’s test is to figure out where the team stands for fielding the second entry throughout the season.
“I’m glad to be heading back to Daytona this weekend,” said Van Alst. This also marks his first time back in the ARCA Menards Series since last year’s fall race at Bristol Motor Speedway where he finished 5th.
It also marks the Anderson, IN native’s return to superspeedway racing since the fall Talladega race for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race where he broke his back. He has since fully recovered and is ready to get back behind the wheel.
“We are so excited to have Isaac testing with us this weekend. He did a great job in his ARCA Menards Series debut at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in August, and I believe he can benefit our team to continue to build our notebook while providing the feedback that can make our decision easy if we decide to come back to Daytona next month and race two cars,” the team owner added.
Johnson is an Indiana short tracker with racing experience in Go-Karts, Kenyon Midgets, Dirt Late Models, and Pavement Late Models. Now he’s set to try out the World Center of Racing.
“I’m beyond excited for the test this weekend,” said the 23-year-old Johnson.
“I’ve been to Daytona a couple of times as a spectator, and just the feeling that you get whenever you go underneath that tunnel is unbelievable,” he added.
Johnson has made one start in the ARCA Menards Series before, back at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Indiana, where he came home 12th in his debut.
“It means a lot to be paired with Greg,” he said. “I’ve always had a ton of respect for him, especially with what he was able to accomplish last year with the win at Daytona. Being a fellow Indiana native, it’s really cool being able to go to the shop every week, hang around the guys, and just sponge as much as I can, leading into the test.”
You can catch Van Alst Motorsports in the season opener at Daytona on February 17th at 2 P.M live on Fox Sports 1.
