Take a look at the results from the recent NASCAR Cup season-opening Daytona 500, and you’ll find just one non-American on the list. Only three drivers from outside the US have ever won NASCAR Cup races – and even then, two were either from North or South America. And there has never been a British racer that has completed a full season in the series.
It’s therefore clear that Alex Sedgwick’s ambition to race in the category is pretty unusual for a European, let alone British, driver. But, as he closes in on a part-season deal in the second-tier Xfinity Series, it’s also clear that he’s determined to make that ambition a reality.
Ever since his karting days, Sedgwick has aspired to sample NASCAR machinery in the States, and he finally ticked that box last year when he made his debut in the ARCA West (the equivalent on the stock car ladder of what Formula 4 is to F1) series finale at Phoenix. But getting to that point has been far from straightforward, and Sedgwick admits he has enjoyed some good fortune.