Sweet Races for the Highest Stakes in Pennsylvania

After a tough result in New York, Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team entered their week in Pennsylvania determined to rebound. With the High Limit Racing “High Rollers” set to take on the “PA Posse” at some of the toughest tracks — including a historic $100,000 finale at Port Royal Speedway — the stage was set for a critical stretch in the championship chase.

The week began Tuesday night at Grandview Speedway, where Sweet returned looking to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish. The NAPA team came out strong, qualifying fifth out of 29 entries to earn the pole position for Heat 2. Sweet cruised to the win and punched his ticket into the Dash.

With the redraw wheel finally on Sweet’s side, a spin of “2” put the NAPA No. 49 on the front row of the Dash. The Big Cat secured a second-place finish behind Christopher Bell, setting up a front-row start for the $20,000-to-win Feature.

The 35-lap A-Main was a thriller. Rico Abreu jumped to an early lead, while Sweet and Bell traded blows for the runner-up spot. Late in the race, Sweet made a final push and slipped past Bell to chase down Abreu. At the checkered, the NAPA No. 49 crossed the line just 0.16 seconds behind the leader, scoring a strong, second-place finish and an important momentum boost heading into Port Royal.

The focus shifted to Port Royal Speedway — the famed “Speed Palace” — for the Bob Weikert Memorial, originally slated as a three-night event with a $75,000-to-win finale. Rain washed out Friday’s opener, but High Limit Racing and Port Royal Speedway made headlines by upping the weekend payout. Saturday night became a $20,000-to-win show, while the prize for Sunday’s finale was raised to a staggering $100,000,  making it the richest sprint car race in Pennsylvania history.

Saturday night proved a challenge. Historically a tough track for Sweet, the struggles continued early with a 26th-place qualifying run. With the event’s eight-car invert and passing-points format, Sweet started second in Heat 2 and made a key move to take the win, locking the NAPA No. 49 into the A-Main. Starting deep in the field in 17th, Sweet battled through a tight, 25-lap sprint, ultimately finishing 19th.

Sunday’s $100,000 finale was a new day, and the NAPA team responded. The format included a six-car qualifying invert into the heat races for the fastest cars along with passing points in heat races. Sweet qualified fourth in his group and was fifth to start in Heat 4. With two key passes to finish third, he racked up valuable points and emerged as the high-points driver in Group B. That earned him a spot in the 10-car redraw, where another strong spin landed the NAPA No. 49 in the second starting spot for the 40-lap Feature. This positioned the NAPA team exactly where they needed to be in the chase for a $100,000 payday.

Despite a tricky start that saw Sweet fall back early, the NAPA Auto Parts machine came alive in the closing laps. Rim-riding against the cushion and pushing hard, Sweet clawed his way back into the top five — ultimately finishing fourth and putting an exclamation point on a resilient weekend.

After a high-stakes week in Pennsylvania, the NAPA No. 49 team remains on top of the High Limit championship standings. With a lighter schedule ahead, Sweet and the team will regroup and head to Indiana and Michigan for a pair of events this weekend.

Start / Finish:
May 20, Grandview Speedway: 2 / 2
May 24, Port Royal Speedway: 17 / 19
May 25, Port Royal Speedway: 2 / 4
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 959 pts. (+32)

Next Race: Friday, May 30, Lawrenceburg Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

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