Greg Van Alst Motorsports is joining the ranks of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season, with the debut of the new part-time organization coming later this month at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on June 25.
The organization will field the No. 35 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in at least four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events, with owner-driver Greg Van Alst piloting the entry at Indianapolis Raceway Park (July 25), Bristol Motor Speedway (September 11), Talladega Superspeedway (October 17), and Martinsville Speedway (October 24).
“This has been in the works for the last couple of months,” said Greg Van Alst. “Starting a Truck Series program has been an eventual goal of mine for a long time, and to finally see it coming together – especially at a place like Lucas Oil Raceway, where I’ve turned so many laps – is incredibly special.”
Top Choice Fence will serve as the primary marketing partner for Van Alst and Greg Van Alst Motorsports in their debut race at IRP. The team is continuing to look for sponsorship for additional events, as the team looks to build toward the future.
“We know there’s a lot of work ahead, but we’re committed to building something competitive and sustainable, and we’re excited to take this next step with Top Choice Fence, and hopefully, more partners join us along the way.”
Van Alst has recruited his former CRA | ARCA championship-winning crew chief, Kevin Shannon, to be the shot-caller for the No. 35 Toyota Tundra as they embark on their first starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
“Having Kevin back on top of the box means a lot to me,” said Van Alst. “We’ve had a lot of success together over the years, and there’s a level of trust and communication between us that you just can’t manufacture. Bringing that into our Truck Series effort gives us a solid foundation to build on right out of the gate.”
The Anderson, Indiana native has five career starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, all of which came in 2023 with Young’s Motorsports. In those starts, Van Alst recorded a best finish of 26th at Talladega Superspeedway, despite a heavy crash that caused a fractured vertebra.
“We’re not coming into this expecting to set the world on fire right away,” Van Alst explained. “We’ve set some realistic goals for this season and know the key is gaining experience and improving each time we hit the track. The more races we run, the stronger this team will become.”
Greg Van Alst Motorsports has fielded a program in the ARCA Menards Series from 2021 to 2024, recording 50 starts, with one victory, five top-five finishes, and 26 top-10s. In 2022, Van Alst in the No. 35 finished fifth in series point standings.
This season, Van Alst has spent time competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joey Gase Motorsports, where in eight starts, the 44-year-old driver recorded a best finish of 31st place at Phoenix Raceway.
After Talladega, Van Alst has elected to take a step back from running in the Xfinity Series but has plans to return to the series later this year.
The T-Sport 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park will take place on Friday, July 25, at 8:00 pm ET on FS1.
