Sweet Stays Sharp, Stacks Top-10s at the Diamond Classic

The “Diamond of Dirt Tracks” delivered three nights of thrilling High Limit Racing action, and Brad Sweet along with the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team rose to the occasion. Racing at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO, Sweet returned as the defending Diamond Classic champion and put together another impressive weekend filled with consistency and speed.

Thursday marked the opening night of the Diamond Classic, and Sweet qualified 13th overall, placing him fifth to start in Heat 1. He advanced to fourth and secured a spot in the A-Main. Rolling off from 11th in the evening’s feature, Sweet immediately went to work, finding the NAPA No. 49 machine hooked up and able to run anywhere on the track. Utilizing a strong bottom groove, Sweet charged forward to finish third, kicking off the weekend with a podium finish.

Carrying momentum into Friday, Sweet qualified second in Flight B and finished fourth in Heat 4, locking into the Dash. Luck wasn’t on his side during the redraw, where he spun for the 8th and final starting spot in the Dash. Sweet managed to gain one position in the Dash and started seventh in Friday’s 30-lap Feature. With multiple grooves in play and battles throughout the field, Sweet held steady to finish seventh, collecting another valuable top-10 finish.

Sweet and the NAPA No. 49 crew came out swinging on championship night. A third-place qualifying run earned him the pole in Heat 3, which he led wire-to-wire to score the win and lock in another Dash appearance. A fifth-place start in the Dash turned into a standout performance. Sweet sliced his way up to second, earning a front-row starting spot for the 35-lap, $25,000-to-win Diamond Classic finale. In a race packed with high-speed action and constant traffic, Sweet held strong inside the top five all night, ultimately crossing the line in fifth.

After over two months on the road, the NAPA 49 team has finally returned to the Kasey Kahne Racing shop. The team will use this brief break to reset and prepare for the critical summer stretch ahead, which includes more crown jewel events and the ongoing pursuit of the High Limit Racing championship.

Start / Finish:
Thursday, June 26: 11 / 3
Friday, June 27: 7 / 7
Saturday, June 28: 2 / 5
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 1,341 pts. (-9)

Next Race: Friday, July 11, Florence Speedway, Walton, KY
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

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