ANDERSON, Ind. — Fourteen-year-old Ryder Van Alst entered Anderson Speedway’s Championship Weekend with one goal left to accomplish.
By the end of the night, he had made history.
Van Alst captured the 2026 Vern’s Concrete Late Model Championship, earning his first Anderson Speedway title and becoming the youngest driver in track history to win a Late Model championship.
Fast From the Moment the Car Hit the Track:
Van Alst entered the championship finale holding a 29-point advantage over Cassten Everidge, but the team wasn’t interested in simply protecting the lead.
They came to win.
From the opening laps of practice, the No. 35 was the car to beat. Van Alst topped the practice charts and then set the fastest qualifying time, putting an exclamation point on the speed the team brought to the track.
Van Alst won the heat race, adding valuable points and moving one step closer to the championship.
One Final Test:
The championship contenders shared the front row for the feature, with Van Alst taking the early lead.
Everidge eventually moved past Van Alst for the top spot, and several laps later the championship suddenly became much more dramatic.
Van Alst spun after suffering a flat tire, bringing out the race’s only caution.
With an entire season hanging in the balance, the No. 35 team had to respond. Van Alst did exactly that.
He recovered to finish fourth, securing enough points to finish the job and claim the 2026 Vern’s Concrete Late Model Championship.
A Season That Started With One Goal:
From the beginning of the year, Van Alst and his team made no secret about what they wanted.
They wanted a championship.
Winning races mattered. Poles mattered. Speed mattered. But every race, every adjustment, and every late night in the shop was building toward something bigger: a championship.
On August 22, that work paid off. After climbing from the car and learning that the championship was officially his, Van Alst admitted he was nearly at a loss for words.
“From the start of the season, we wanted to win the championship,” Van Alst said.
Now he can add something even bigger to that accomplishment.
He didn’t just win it.
He made history doing it.
The Youngest Ever:
Anderson Speedway has been home to generations of Late Model racers and champions, making Van Alst’s accomplishment even more significant. But perhaps the biggest story is what those accomplishments represent.
This championship wasn’t won in one night. It was earned over an entire season.
It came from the work in the shop, the preparation between races, the good nights, the difficult nights, and the determination to keep improving every time the No. 35 rolled onto the racetrack.
Championship night simply provided the final chapter.
For Ryder Van Alst, however, it may be only the beginning.
At Anderson Speedway, the record book now has a new name in it:
Ryder Van Alst — 2026 Late Model Champion.
And the youngest to ever do it.
