The Formula 1 documentary Series, ‘Drive To Survive’, played a huge role in popularizing the sport in the United States when it aired for the first time in 2018. But unfortunately, there was no American driver in the sports. But that changed last season when the Williams Racing team hired Logan Sargeant (23), who became the first full-time American driver in nearly eight years.

It was a big deal for the American fans who finally got a local hero to cheer for, especially with the expansion of Formula 1’s presence in the States by introducing races like the Miami Grand Prix and the Las Vegas Grand Prix. And while Logan Sargeant has become a popular name in the F1 community, did you know that his older brother Dalton Sargeant was also a racing driver?

Dalton Sargeant, who started his racing career at the age of 9, wanted to become a professional stock car racing driver. He started like most racing drivers start their journey through karting before he and Logan headed to Switzerland to race in European open-wheel competitions. At 13, Dalton showed his talent by winning races in series like the WSK Euro Series and the CIK-FIA European KF3 Championship.

He even got to test a Formula Renault car, which was a big deal for a 13-year-old. The Sargeant brothers returned to the United States in 2014 and Dalton got his first shot at a NASCAR development (regional) series in 2015.

Dalton Sargeant made a strong impression in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

In 2015, Dalton was signed by HScott Motorsports and sponsored by GALT to pilot the No. 51 Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. He secured an impressive second-place finish in his debut race at the half-mile New Smyrna Speedway. He went on to finish 4th in the championship with 506 points to his name.

He also took part in the K&N Pro Series West where he secured a victory in his very first race for the Jefferson Pitts Racing Team at the half-mile Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway followed by a 3rd place finish at the Irwindale Speedway & Event Center. He raced for his original team HScott Motorsports for the other 4 races of the season in the West Series where he scored a 2nd place and a 4th place finish at the Sonoma and Phoenix Raceway respectively and finished 17th in the championship.

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He also made his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2015 and took part in 4 races with the best performance of a 9th place finish at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Due to his impressive first season in various NASCAR regional series, Dalton Sargeant was named as the 2015 NASCAR Next Class member. He was later signed by Venturini Motorsports to take part in the 2016 ARCA Racing Series where he impressed everyone all over again in his debut season.

Dalton Sargeant became the 2016 Rookie of the Year in ARCA

In his very first season in the ARCA Racing Series for Venturini Motorsports, Dalton only took part in 15 out of the 20 races. Despite taking part in fewer races he was able to showcase his talent by finishing 8th in the championship with an impressive race win at the Herr’s Snacks 200 held at Berlin Raceway. Other notable performances of the season include ten top-five finishes and twelve top-ten finishes.

Recognizing his impressive performance in the debut season, Dalton Sargeant was awarded the 2016 ARCA Rookie of the Year award. In 2017, Dalton became a full-time driver in the ARCA Racing Series for the Cunningham Motorsports team. 2017 was one of the most dominant seasons for the American driver as he secured three wins, and only finished outside the top-10 on two occasions.

One of the highlights of the 2017 season was his win at the Salem Speedway where he lapped the entire field on his way to the chequered flag, a truly dominant performance that helped him secure a full-time seat for 2018 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with GMS Racing.

Realizing his dream of being a full-time NASCAR National Series racer

In early January of 2018, GMS Racing announced that the 19-year-old sensation, Dalton Sargeant will race for them in the No. 25 Chevrolet under the guidance of crew chief Doug Randolph. It was a dream come true scenario for the American driver who always wanted to take part in the NASCAR National Series.

“I’m really excited to be joining a championship-caliber team in GMS Racing for the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season,” said Dalton Sargeant to express his gratitude and enthusiasm as quoted by Motorsport.com. “Mike Beam and everyone at GMS Racing has put so much effort into this No. 25 team during the off-season and I can’t thank them enough for this opportunity.”

“I’m looking forward to what we can accomplish in 2018. It’s always been a dream and a goal to compete at this level in NASCAR. I left a career and a life in Europe to compete against the best in NASCAR and today is that day,” he added.

Despite achieving his goal to race in the National Series, Dalton Sargeant’s dream life didn’t last very long as he was dropped by the GMS Racing team mid-season.

Dalton Sargeant’s racing career was abruptly cut short in 2018

Only 16 races into the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, both Dalton Sargeant and GMS Racing released statements announcing the end of their partnership. It is interesting to note that neither the team nor the driver gave any information as to why Dalton was being dropped by the team except for a subtle hint from GMS Racing’s President, Mike Bean citing an unfortunate circumstance with Sargeant Motorsports.

Beam said, “Due to an unfortunate circumstance with Sargeant Motorsports, Dalton Sargeant will no longer compete with GMS Racing full-time in the Truck Series for the remainder of the 2018 season. Until the issue is resolved, Spencer (Gallagher) will serve as the fill-in driver of the No. 25 Chevrolet entry beginning this weekend in Canada. We hope a solution can be agreed upon and to see Dalton back racing GMS equipment in the near future.”

Dalton Sargeant also issued a separate statement to announce that he would no longer take part in the Truck Series. “It’s difficult to put into words but effective immediately I will not be completing this racing season as the driver of the No. 25 truck for GMS Racing,” Dalton shared on Social Media.

“This is unfortunate for everyone involved, but all we can do right now is stay focused and work hard towards the 2019 racing season. Words alone cannot fully express my profound appreciation for all of the support I’ve received this year from my family, friends, partners, and, of course, the amazing NASCAR fans that I’m privileged to meet each and every week. Thank you all. I look forward to seeing everyone at a race track soon,” he concluded.

There has been no record of Dalton Sargeant competing in any racing competition since 2018 and it is believed that his days as a racing driver are over.