Sweet Keeps Points Lead after Character-Building Weekend

The No. 49 NAPA AUTO PARTS team traveled to Knoxville Raceway this weekend for two nights of action at the famous half-mile located in central Iowa. Brad Sweet kicked off night one of the Brownells Big Guns Bash qualifying fifth overall in flight A with a lap time of 15.444. He lined up third in Drydene heat race competition, right behind car owner Kasey Kahne. Sweet made a last lap pass on Kahne to take the second spot, transferring him into the Fast Pass Dash. 

Sweet then pulled out the number four pill in the NOS Energy Drink can to set the starting line-up for the six lap Fast Pass Dash. After a fourth-place finish in the dash, the Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR) No. 49 rolled off from the outside of row two for the 25-lap main event. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team came home sixth in Friday night’s feature event. 

Saturday night, 39 cars were again in attendance. Sweet went out late for qualifying in flight A, stopping the clock at 16.334 seconds. The NAPA AUTO PARTS No. 49 started sixth in heat race two after qualifying 12th overall in their flight. After finishing sixth, Sweet missed the main event by one position, forcing him to run the Last Chance Showdown. In the 12-lap last chance qualifier, the KKR No. 49 quickly went fifth to second, transferring the NAPA AUTO PARTS team into the 25-lap Brownells Big Guns Bash main event. After rolling off 22nd in the main event, Sweet fought traffic deep in the field and battled his way up to the 16th position at the checkered flag.

“After a tough weekend, we are ready to get back to a few tracks this weekend where we’ve had success,” said Sweet, a Grass Valley, California, native. “My NAPA AUTO PARTS guys are excited to start the big money shows and we’re confident we can get our speed back.”

Looking ahead to next weekend, the World of Outlaws continue their midwest swing at 34 Raceway, Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway, and Beaver Dam Raceway. Sweet and the No. 49 team found success at 34 Raceway in 2020, coming home with a third-place finish. The World of Outlaws will make their Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway debut this weekend following the event’s cancellation last year. In 2020, Sweet and the KKR team swept the doubleheader at Beaver Dam Raceway.

Start / Finish:
Friday, June 11: 4 / 6
Saturday, June 12: 22 / 16
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 4,188 pts. (+48)

Next Race: June 10, 34 Raceway, West Burlington, IA; June 11,  Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway, Dubuque, IA; June 12, Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, WI
How to Watch or Listen: www.dirtvision.com

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