Sweet, NAPA Team Show Strength through Ohio and Kings Royal

The brightest lights of the season were shining this past week as Brad Sweet and the Kasey Kahne Racing NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team tackled five races in six nights across Ohio. With High Limit Racing and World of Outlaws competition on deck — including the prestigious Kings Royal — the stage was set for intense action with high stakes.

The week opened at Fremont Speedway, where Sweet qualified sixth in Group A and started second in Heat 2. He jumped to the early lead and never looked back, taking the heat win and locking into the Dash. A favorable spin on the redraw wheel placed Sweet third in the Dash, where he maintained position to earn a second-row starting spot for the Feature.

The 35-lap A-Main saw Sweet locked in a crowd-thrilling battle with Kyle Larson, trading slide jobs and momentum in a duel for the podium. In a late push for second, Sweet slipped up slightly and came home with a strong, fourth-place finish.

With one day to regroup, the NAPA No. 49 team rolled into Eldora for four consecutive nights at the iconic half-mile. Wednesday’s unique “Double Down Duels” format split the 62-car field into two complete race programs. Sweet qualified 14th in his group of three. After starting third in Heat 2, the Big Cat drove forward to second to transfer into the Group A Feature. Starting 11th in the A-Main, Sweet steadily advanced, showcasing the team’s strong mid-week speed with a seventh-place finish, a solid result heading into Thursday’s high-stakes event.

One of the biggest nights of the year was televised live on FS1 and brought the $100,000-to-win Joker’s Jackpot. After Wednesday’s results, Sweet sat 16th in event points and rolled off from the front row of B-Main 2, where the top six transferred to the A-Main. With focus and execution, he led every lap to win the B-Main and secure the 14th starting spot in the A-Main. At the drop of the green, a major crash collected six cars, including the NAPA No. 49. Quick work by the KKR crew in the work area got Sweet back on track. He stormed into the top 10 and was climbing when a sudden engine failure ended his run early with 20 laps to go. Despite the heartbreak, the effort extended his High Limit points lead to 12 points after Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday races.

Under World of Outlaws sanction, Friday’s program presented a fresh challenge. Sweet qualified 13th in Group A and finished sixth in Heat 1, sending him to the B-Main. There, he grabbed a critical second-place finish to transfer into the A-Main, starting 22nd. From the drop of the green, Sweet charged forward — slicing through heavy traffic and advancing 14 spots to finish eighth. It was another strong run and valuable momentum heading into the Kings Royal.

The weekend culminated with the $200,000-to-win Kings Royal — a crown Sweet had worn twice before (2013 and 2019). The NAPA No. 49 was again fast, qualifying seventh out of 53 cars. Sweet lined up third in Heat 1 after the inversion but got into the fence in Turn 1 and suffered a hard crash. Sweet was alert and helped from the car, then transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. Scans came back clean, and he was discharged late Saturday night, sore and beat up with a concussion. He is now back home in California, recovering with family.

Sweet will continue to heal and rest, missing out on Tuesday’s High Limit race at Lernerville Speedway, while the NAPA No. 49 team uses a medical provisional per the rulebook, which will award points based on the team’s average finish plus five positions. The team remains atop the High Limit standings and focused on a full-season title run. The Big Cat will be back soon, and the KKR crew will be ready.

Start / Finish:
Monday, July 14, Fremont Speedway: 3 / 4
Wednesday, July 16, Eldora Speedway: 11 / 7
Thursday, July 17, Eldora Speedway: 14 / 16
Friday, July 18, Eldora Speedway: 22 / 8
Saturday, July 19, Eldora Speedway: DNF
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 1,523 pts. (+12)

Next Race: TBD

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