Sweet Suffers Tough Luck at 70th Gold Cup Race of Champions

Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team fit the bill for last week’s sprint car action at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California. The Golden State native is a five-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion, making the No. 49 a worthy entry for the 70th Gold Cup Race of Champions presented by NAPA Auto Parts. Sweet and the No. 49 team were looking to earn an historic payday, too. The stellar payout of $100,070 to the winner was the biggest in California sprint car history, drawing a packed house as fans gathered to witness the excitement on track.

The intense racing began on Thursday, the NAPA team’s preliminary night, and Sweet had speed from the start. He clocked a qualifying time of 12.026 seconds for sixth overall. Heat races lined up according to qualifying points, and the native of Grass Valley was slated to start fifth. The No. 49 again displayed its speed with Sweet driving from fifth to second at the checkered flag. In Thursday’s main event, however, Sweet’s luck took a turn for the worse. The Big Cat traded slide jobs back and forth for the lead before the No. 49 jumped the cushion and crashed into the retaining wall on the front stretch. With only four laps remaining after the restart, the NAPA driver as still able to make his way up to 12th after restarting from the tail of the field.

Saturday marked the final day and the biggest race of the Gold Cup, and Sweet once again faced tough competition. The No. 49 was fourth to start in heat race action but ultimately finished fifth on a wet surface. That finish put Sweet in the B Feature, and the NAPA driver held his ground to finish third and earn a place in the A Feature. After starting deep in the field in 23rd, Sweet made a valiant effort to climb forward and ultimately netted six positions to finish 17th.

Despite the challenges in Chico, Sweet remains on top of the High Limit Racing points standings with 2,137 points and holds a solid, 96-point advantage over the second place driver.

“I’m proud of out efforts this weekend,” Sweet said of the 70th Gold Cup. “It wasn’t the results we were hoping for, but the competition was tough, and we fought hard every lap. The fans here were incredible, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Next up for Sweet and the NAPA team is Douglas County Dirt Track in Roseburg, Oregon.

Start / Finish:
Thursday, August 22: 5 / 12
Saturday, August 24: 23 / 17
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 2,137 pts.

Next Race: Monday, August 26, Douglas County Dirt Track, Roseburg, Oregon
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

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