Faith comes first for up-and-coming NASCAR driver Anthony Alfredo

NASCAR driver Anthony Alfredo refuses to allow anything to define and guide him other than his walk with Christ.

At just 25, Alfredo has two top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series. He also boasts a total of 118 Xfinity Series starts entering 2025, with five top-five and 22 top-10 finishes.

Bursting onto the scene in 2021, Alfredo finished runner-up to Chase Briscoe in the NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year race. Although he has yet to secure a signature win in the Cup Series, the young driver from Ridgefield, Connecticut, appears to be off to a promising start in his racing career.

Apparently, a whole host of sponsors believe so as well.

Alfredo secured 31 endorsement deals in 2023, outpacing all other NASCAR drivers, although that number could have been higher. Alfredo said in a recent interview with Sports Spectrum that he refused one endorsement primarily because of his faith.

“There was a situation with one sponsor that just didn’t sit right with myself and my family and my beliefs. … I’m not selling or representing something I don’t believe in,” Alfredo said, without elaborating. 

The driver said he believes there has been a reward for that obedience in taking a stand against agendas that don’t align with his faith in God. 

“I truly believe a lot of the success we had … came along because of that … doing what God wanted us to do in that situation.” 

The decision is part of a larger story in Alfredo’s life of letting his Christian faith be the north star that defines who he is and what he does. 

Although raised in a church, Alfredo didn’t make his faith his own until after he met his wife, Emily, who was not raised the same. But she “discovered Christ on her own,” according to Alfredo, and the college sweethearts began to grow in their faith together. 

A pivotal moment for Alfredo happened through MRO (Motor Racing Outreach) in August 2023, when he decided to be baptized. For over three decades, MRO has provided chapel services on Sunday race days to give NASCAR drivers and their families time in fellowship, prayer, counseling and other spiritual care. 

Through that ministry and his wife’s influence, Alfredo made the public decision to get baptized at Daytona Beach on a race weekend. He and Emily were baptized together, a massive milestone for the couple before they tied the knot. 

According to the young driver, Emily is a clear sign of God’s presence in his life. When speaking about the couple’s future plans as a family, Alfredo said: 

“We want to raise our kids in the faith and teach them about God and what Jesus Christ has done for us.” 

As far as his professional career goes, Alfredo keeps it as simple as His Instagram bio, which reads “God first.” 

“I think God gave me the opportunity to race in the national series … so that I can use that platform to share His word,” he told Sports Spectrum’s Matt Forte and Jason Romano. 

“Jesus Christ has just taught me a lot about life through racing: learning to not let your highs be too high and your lows be too low and just understand that everything happens for a reason and there’s a bigger picture in place.” 

Alfredo truly views his career as an opportunity to make a positive impact and a platform to share his faith with others, rather than wins or losses. As part of that platform, a new book released in December, Sundays at the Track: Inspiring True Stories of Faith, Leadership, and Determination from the World of NASCAR, features an entire chapter dedicated to Alfredo’s story.