Sweet Captures Fifth Win on the Season at Atomic

Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team earned their fifth World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series win Friday at Atomic Speedway in Waverly, Ohio. The Outlaws raced two nights at Atomic before moving on to Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Ind., for Memorial Day show. Sweet finished the long weekend tied for first in championship points.

On Friday, the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 team made their way to the ‘fastest 3/8 mile’ of Atomic Speedway to find 35 cars in attendance. Sweet was slated to qualify 31st  and stopped the clock at 11.388 seconds, placing the NAPA No. 49 fifth overall and second to start Heat Race 1. From the start of the heat race, Sweet secured the second position, gapping second-place runner Sheldon Haudenschild. The Big Cat crossed the checkers in second, punching his ticket to the Fast Pass Dash.

“It’s really tricky,” Sweet said of the Atomic Speedway surface as he drew the top starting spot for the Dash. “This place is known to be slick, so we kind of always come here prepared to try and get the cars hooked up.”

At the drop of the green flag, Sweet jumped out to the early lead ahead of his brother-in-law, Kyle Larson, and continued to hold him off. The NAPA driver showed the way to the checkered flag with a lead of over two seconds at the line. Sweet earned the top starting spot for the 35-lap Friday night feature.

After lining up side by side, the field took the checkered flag on the main event. Sweet appeared to be effortlessly circling the 3/8-mile track. After multiple cautions and attempts by competitors, the four-time and defending World of Outlaws champion kicked it up a notch and drove the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 to victory. The win signified not only Sweet’s fifth win of the season but placed him tied with Stevie Smith for 10th on the Outlaws’ All-Time Wins list.

Following a successful first night at Atomic, the NAPA No. 49 team returned looking to repeat the win for a sweep. Saturday brought 30 competitors, and Sweet was slated to qualify 12th in the order. A time of 11.577 seconds placed him fourth overall and second to start Heat Race 1.

Competitors took the green for Heat Race 1 , where Sweet started second. However, a mid-race caution was displayed, and Sweet was passed by third-place runner Haudenschild on the restart. The NAPA driver finished third, placing him seventh to start the Saturday night feature. The field lined up in pairs and took the green flag. Sweet searched for a line but struggled to find one that worked. After an early caution slowed the field, the NAPA driver fell back on the restart and tried to regain ground. He fought the car throughout the race and brought it home in the 11th position.

On Monday, the team traveled to Lawrenceburg Speedway for the Memorial Day Spectacular. At the event where Sweet has previously found much success, he looked to improve on the previous night’s performance. Only 26 cars signed into competition, and the No. 49 was scheduled fifth in the qualifying order. Sweet stopped the clock at 12.340 seconds, placing him fifth overall and second to start Heat Race 2.

With competitors lined up side-by-side, the green flag waved on the heat race. Sweet launched quickly to the inside to protect second, but a caution was soon displayed. On the ensuing restart, the Big Cat fell back to third, finishing there and earning a eighth-place starting spot for the feature.

When the 30-lap Memorial Day Spectacular feature went green, the NAPA driver battled through dirty air and made the top side of the track work for the No. 49 machine. A red flag condition came at lap 10, and the field restarted after the track was cleared. Sweet handled the car to the best of his ability on the slick-dusty track and brought the NAPA car home in ninth place.

Start / Finish:
Friday, May 26, Atomic Speedway: 1 / 1
Saturday, May 27, Atomic Speedway: 7 / 11
Sunday, May 28, Lawrencburg Speedway: 8 / 9
Points Standing / Total: tied for 1st / 3,344 pts. (+8)

Next Race: Friday, June 2, River Cities Speedway, Grand Forks, ND
How to Watch or Listen: www.dirtvision.com

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Brad Sweet: @BradSweet49
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt