Sweet Extends Points Lead at Eagle, Challenges Outlaws at Knoxville

Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team had an exciting and eventful week of racing starting in Lincoln, NE, before continuing on to Knoxville Raceway in Iowa to compete with the World of Outlaws.

On Tuesday, June 11th, Sweet arrived at Eagle Raceway to vie for the $50,000-to-win Bikini Zone Eagle Nationals. The day began with a special visit to the local Lincoln NAPA Auto Parts store, where Sweet had the pleasure of meeting store owner Randy Sell, his employees, and VIP customers. Following the private meet-and-greet, the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 team hosted 30 guests from the Lincoln NAPA store at the track for an evening of high-energy sprint car racing.

To start off the competition, Sweet qualified ninth in Flight A with a time of 11.661 seconds. Setting the lineup for Heat Race action, the NAPA No.49 made an impressive move from fifth to third. The evening’s feature was a showcase of Sweet’s skill as he surged from 13th to finish in the runner-up position. The NAPA driver gave leader Kyle Larson no room to spare, and his impressive advance thrilled the crowd and made for a wildly entertaining race.

As a result of his strong showing, Sweet extended his lead in the points standings. He now holds 1,612 points, maintaining a 76-point lead over the second-place competitor Tyler Courtney.

With a scheduled off weekend from the High Limit Racing Series, Sweet and the KKR team opted to gain extra track time by heading to Knoxville Raceway to compete with the World of Outlaws. The visit to “The Sprint Car Capital of the World” allowed the team some extra preparation ahead of the Knoxville Nationals in August.

On Friday, June 14th, Sweet and the team took a chance on testing set-ups before the big dance in August. The Big Cat qualified 12th in Flight B with a time of 16.390 seconds. In heat race competition, Sweet advanced from sixth to fifth, and in Friday night’s feature, he charged from 20th to 15th. The NAPA team still had one more chance to progress on their set-ups for Knoxville Raceway the following night.

Saturday night proved to be a night of redemption as Sweet continued to push the limits. Qualifying 10th in Flight B with a time of 16.306 seconds, the NAPA Auto Parts No.49 was on the move. Sweet went on to power through his heat race, finishing third after starting from fifth. In the final feature of the weekend, Sweet demonstrated his skills once again, climbing from 12th to finish ninth when the checkered flag dropped.

Start / Finish:
Tuesday, June 11, Eagle Raceway: 13 / 2
Friday, June 14, Knoxville Raceway: 20 /15
Saturday, June 15, Knoxville Raceway: 12 / 9
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 1,612 pts. (+76)

Next Race: Wednesday, June 19, Huset’s Speedway, Brandon, SD
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

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