Salas Joins Alpha Prime For Part-Time Xfinity Slate

Vicente Salas (Nigel Kinrade/NKP photo)

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Multi-time eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series winner Vicente Salas has landed his biggest racing opportunity in the real world.

Announced Friday morning, Salas will take the reins of the No. 45 Chevrolet for Alpha Prime Racing for a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season.

The 22-year-old from Temecula, Calif., plans to kick off his driving duties with the team at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway on Saturday, April 19.

It’s the biggest career step to date for Salas, a third-generation Mexican American who grew up racing shifter karts in California and dreamed of breaking into NASCAR from the time he was a little kid.

“I’m beyond excited to partner with Tommy Joe [Martins, co-owner of APR] and everybody at Alpha Prime Racing for an opportunity like this,” Salas told Motorsports Hotspot during eNASCAR Media Day, ahead of the confirmation of his new deal.

“When I look at my career and what’s gotten me here, faith in my place and faith in those around me has given me the determination to keep pushing forward,” he continued. “I see the faith that APR has in themselves and what they do, and the faith they have in me to trust me with their equipment, and together we have the determination to succeed as a group and I believe that we’ll be able to do that.

“I don’t think there’s any better place for me to land right now and I can’t wait to see what I’ll be able to build with them, hopefully over a longer period of time.”

Salas makes the jump to the Xfinity Series after competing in late model stock cars at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway full time in 2023 and parlaying that experience into two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts last season.

After debuting with Young’s Motorsports at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Salas joined McAnally-Hilgemann Racing for a one-off appearance at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., in June. His career-best Truck Series mark of 25th came in MHR’s No. 91 entry.

It’s a markedly steeper career path than most for Salas, who has raced full time in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series since 2021 and credits connections made in the virtual world with expediting his real-life racing progression.

“I’ve said it before and I stand by this statement, but I don’t believe I’d be anywhere close to where I am now – and certainly not at the Xfinity Series level – without the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series,” Salas noted. “Growing up on the West Coast, I felt like I was disconnected from the actual NASCAR scene out east, but I built connections, made friends that work in the industry, and they were able to get me the connection to go race a pro late model [in 2022] that really got this whole journey going.

“Those same connections helped me go race the late model stock at Hickory and led me to the Truck [Series] as well,” he continued. “My first eNASCAR win [in 2021 at Richmond Raceway] is what helped me get into a late model. Without that win or that series, I don’t believe I’d be where I am.”

Salas will race the full eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season this year with Kanaan eSports, managed by 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, and hopes to earn the online series’ $100,000 championship prize after a career-best fifth place finish in points in 2024.

He’ll do so while also fulfilling the duties necessary to compete with Alpha Prime Racing at a high level.

It might seem like a lot for a young driver trying to find his way on the national stage, but Salas is confident he can balance both worlds and find success along the way as he looks to make his name – and his mark – in Xfinity Series competition.

“I started [iRacing professionally] when I was just graduating high school, and with having raced stock cars for a few years now, I’ve gotten better with my time management and knowing what I need going into races,” he noted. “I think that knowing exactly the feel that I want virtually will allow me to maximize my time and do exactly what I need to in sim-racing, while also being studied and ready for my races on Saturdays as well.

“As long as I keep up with my training regimen in the gym and stay in a steady routine, I think it’s going to be a very good season in all aspects.

Salas’ full schedule of races with Alpha Prime Racing will be released at a later date.