Sweet Maintains Outlaws Points Dominance in North Dakota
Brad Sweet continues to enjoy the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series points lead after the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team completed two nights of racing in North Dakota, the final Outlaws events in the state for the 2023 season. Although the four-time and defending champion missed the podium at River Cities Speedway on Friday and Red River Valley Speedway on Saturday, Sweet is now 56 points ahead of second place with a remarkable 46 top-10s and 30 top-fives in 51 starts this season.
The NAPA team rolled into River Cities on Friday clearly ready for the competition. In qualifying, Sweet laid down a blistering, 9.587-second lap, the quickest overall, then went on to win his heat race, locking into the Fast Pass Dash.
The Big Cat drew the sixth starting spot for the dash, which gave the team an opportunity to test the setup of the NAPA No. 49 machine in traffic. Moving up to fifth in the six-lap dash placed Sweet fifth to start in the evening’s feature race. His competitive spirit was on display as he navigated the high-banked bullring, ultimately crossing the line in fourth.
Saturday took the team to Red River Valley Speedway, and Sweet hoped to claim his first win at the West Fargo dirt track. In qualifying, the No. 49 was scored seventh-quickest with a lap time of 12.081 seconds. Placed third to start in his heat race, Sweet held on to his spot across the 10-lap round but was unable to advance to second to earn a spot in the dash. He transferred directly to the feature with a starting spot of seventh. He wasted no time in seeking opportunities to advance through the field and crossed the line in sixth when the checkered flag dropped.
With a solid lead in championship points after North Dakota, the NAPA No. 49 team travels next to Washington for four events in five nights, starting with the first night of the Skagit Nationals on Thursday, Aug. 31.
Start / Finish:
Friday, Aug. 25, River Cities Speedway: 5 / 4
Saturday, Aug. 26, Red River Valley Speedway: 7 / 6
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 6,938 pts. (+56)
Next Race: Thursday, Aug. 31, Skagit Speedway, Burlington, Wash.
How to Watch or Listen: www.dirtvision.com
NAPA: @NAPARacing
Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt
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Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR), located in Mooresville, NC, was formed in 2005 and employs more than ten people dedicated to sprint car racing. The organization fields two entries in the High Limit Sprint Car Series; Brad Sweet (NAPA No. 49) and former NASCAR Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne (No. 9). Collectively, KKR has 6 World of Outlaws Championships (Daryn Pittman in '13 and Brad Sweet in '19, '20, '21, '22 & '23). Since the team's inception, KKR has amassed over 285+ dirt car wins.