Sweet Battles Up Front at Lernerville, Builds Momentum for Title Push

The Kasey Kahne Racing NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team returned to Pennsylvania last weekend for High Limit Racing’s Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville Speedway. With the championship fight tightening, Brad Sweet and the NAPA crew delivered two strong, runner-up finishes, leading laps both nights and gaining valuable points in the standings.

Sweet entered one of his best tracks Friday with 15-straight top-10 finishes at Lernerville. The NAPA team rolled that confidence straight into qualifying, timing third-quick in the 29-car field. Starting fourth in Heat 3, Sweet powered to the front for the win, putting the NAPA No. 49 on the pole for the Dash. Another wire-to-wire victory there earned pole position for Friday’s 30-lap feature.

In the main event, Sweet controlled the opening 27 laps through multiple restarts, looking poised for the win. But with three to go, a charging Tanner Thorson slipped by on the bottom, leaving the NAPA No. 49 to secure a solid, second-place finish and critical points toward the championship.

Thanks to Friday’s runner-up result, Sweet locked directly into Heat 3 on Saturday. He advanced from fourth to third and punched his ticket to the Dash. A tough spin on the redraw wheel placed him seventh to start the Dash, but he advanced to sixth in the seven-lap sprint to move up a row for the 35-lap feature.

Rolling off sixth for the $30,000 main event, Sweet steadily worked forward. By lap 10 he was in third, then up to second with 15 laps remaining. On lap 20, Sweet grabbed the lead from Rico Abreu and paced the field for five laps before Daison Pursley slipped past with 10 to go. Sweet held firm to record another runner-up finish,  capping off a weekend where the NAPA No. 49 led laps both nights and continued climbing in the standings.

With just 10 races left, the High Limit championship battle is coming down to the wire. This week, the NAPA team heads to Indiana’s Lawrenceburg Speedway on Wednesday before rolling into Ohio for Eldora’s 4-Crown Nationals on Friday and Saturday. Both stops will be pivotal in the chase for the title, and the crew is hungry to keep the momentum rolling.

Start / Finish:
Friday, Sept. 12: 1 / 2
Saturday, Sept. 13: 6 / 2
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 2,227 pts. (-25)

Next Race: Wednesday, Sept. 17, Lawrenceburg Speedway, Lawrenceburg, IN
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt