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Sweet Wins at Volusia ahead of Outlaws Season Opener
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By NAPA
Last week, the high-speed action of High Limit Racing descended on the Sooner State , and Brad Sweet and the
link hidden, please login to view No. 49 team emerged as the dominant force of the series’ Oklahoma swing. When action kicked off Tuesday at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker, Sweet appeared quick from the start. The NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 sprint car topped the charts in Flight B qualifying, clocking in at 12.334 seconds. The Big Cat maintained his composure despite tough competition in his heat race, where he started fourth and finished fifth. Sweet earned a spot in the dash thanks to having the quickest time in his qualifying group. In just seven laps, he advanced from fifth to fourth, placing the No. 49 fourth to start the feature. There, Sweet battled fierce competition and a technical track to ultimately finish eighth.
Undeterred, the NAPA team went on to Southern Oklahoma Speedway for a Friday night High Limit Racing show. A strong qualifying run placed the No. 49 third overall, and Sweet lined up fourth for his heat race. Despite starting in dirty air and finishing in fifth, Sweet again made the dash on his strong qualifying time. With his dash finish setting his feature starting spot, the Big Cat had seven laps to improve from his fourth-place dash draw. He crossed the line in third, and went on to deliver an outstanding performance in the feature. Sweet surged to the lead from third and claimed his first High Limit Racing victory.
The No. 49 team carried that winning momentum into Saturday’s event at Salina Highbanks Speedway. Logging a lightning-fast lap of 11.585 seconds in qualifying, Sweet dominated the competition and secured his fourth Quick Time award of the season. In a display of his skill and experience, Sweet powered the NAPA No. 49 from fourth to third in his heat race, again earning a spot in the dash. He advanced from third to second, locking into a front-row starting spot for the feature. He successfully seized the lead in a flawless performance and took the checkered flag to sweep the weekend.
Start / Finish:
Tuesday, April 16, Red Dirt Raceway: 4 / 8
Friday, April 19, Southern Oklahoma Speedway: 3 / 1
Saturday, April 20, Salina Highbanks Speedway: 2 / 1
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 597 pts. (-14)
Next Race: Tuesday, April 23, Riverside International Speedway
How to Watch or Listen:
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By NAPA
Jack Wood began the ARCA Menards Series West (AMSW) campaign with a seventh-place finish on Friday evening at Phoenix Raceway to mark his second consecutive top-10 result at the one-mile tri oval. The driver of the No. 16
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet SS kick started his AMSW championship bid with his 12th-career top-10 finish as the race was called short due to rain and lightning after 115 of 150 scheduled laps.
Wood began his effort in the desert by posting the eighth-quickest time in practice and followed that up with an eighth-place qualifying effort. The Californian began the event by wrestling an extremely loose handling condition in the NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet. Wood radioed the team that his balance was a “10 out of 10” loose on both ends of Phoenix’s flat mile but managed to stay on the lead lap during the first half of the event.
Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt took advantage of a caution on lap 70 to bring Wood to pit road for a crucial wedge adjustment while running 14th. On the ensuing restart at lap 75, Wood rocketed forward to claim the sixth position by the time the halfway caution flew on lap 76.
Wood took on four fresh General Tires, fuel, and additional chassis adjustments during the halfway break to tweak the improved balance on his Chevrolet. When the race restarted on lap 81, Wood was a mainstay in the top-10 until a caution for lightning slowed the field on lap 113. Wood was credited with a seventh-place finish as a rare thunderstorm enveloped the desert mile and forcing an official finish after 115 laps were completed.
“With as deep as the field was here, seventh is a solid start to our season,” Wood said. “Our NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet was too loose in the first half of the race, and we really needed that caution before halfway to get an extra adjustment. Kevin and the guys made a good call, and it really improved the car. I would have liked to see us run out the full distance to see if we could have gotten into the top-five, but that’s a solid finish for our first race as a group. We have a good foundation here and we’ll work on getting ready for Irwindale in a couple weeks.”
Start / Finish: 8 / 7
Points Standing / Total: 7th / 37 pts.
Next Race: Saturday, March 30, Irwindale Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 10:00 p.m. ET on FloRacing
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes tallied a resilient sixth-place finish on Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) for his best finish through three races. The driver of the No. 19
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet Silverado RST remains ninth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) standings after his second top-10 result of the young season. Eckes has now posted top-10 finishes in six of his eight races at LVMS.
Eckes started the day in strong fashion by posting the second-quickest laps in practice and qualifying. He got the early holeshot off the initial green flag and led the first seven circuits. However, Eckes began wrestling with an extremely tight condition throughout the opening stage. The balance issues relegated him to run in 14th position at the end of Stage 1 on lap 30.
Crew chief Charles Denike brought Eckes to pit lane during the stage yellow to change four tires and address the handling woes. A track bar and wedge adjustment proved to be the right direction for Eckes in Stage 2, but the tight condition persisted. Eckes restarted 16th on lap 36 but immediately leaped into the top 10 by lap 38. Despite his efforts, Eckes once again ran 14th at the end of Stage 2 on lap 60.
Denike and the NAPA Auto Care team made an even bigger swing to improve the balance with chassis adjustments during the second stage caution. Significant wedge and a front suspension changes proved to be the proper tonic to wake up Eckes’ Chevrolet. He restarted 21st on lap 67 and marched back into the top-10 in less than 20 laps. A smoothly executed green-flag pit stop cycle vaulted Eckes from ninth to sixth with roughly 30 laps remaining. The improved balance allowed him to string together consistent laps over the final run to take the checkered flag in sixth for his second top-10 result of the season.
“We definitely made improvements throughout the night to our NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet,” Eckes said. “My guys kept making swings at it and we got the balance better, but we have some work to do to get the balance where we need it. It’s good to finish better than we ran all night, but we have some work to do.”
Start / Finish: 2 / 6
Points Standing / Total: 9th / 85 pts. (-22)
Next Race: Saturday, March 16, Bristol Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Brad Sweet and the
link hidden, please login to view No. 49 team of Kasey Kahne Racing ventured to Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, Georgia, and were met with a challenging weekend of racing. The Deuces Wild event, which featured both the High Limit Racing series and the Lucas Oil Late Model Series, marked the first-ever 410 sprint car races for the track renowned for late model racing.
On the first night of competition, Sweet started strong with a fifth-place qualifying effort at a time of 12.992 seconds. After a close, nose-to-nose start in his heat race, the NAPA driver challenged for the lead but came up just short, clinching a second-place finish. From there, the Big Cat transferred directly to the evening’s feature. The five-time World of Outlaws champion climbed from eighth to sixth, demonstrating his ability to navigate through a tricky field in dirty air.
The NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team continued their momentum into the second night of the Deuces Wild, impressing spectators with a fourth-place qualifying run at 13.058 seconds. Sweet held his ground in his heat race, finishing second and securing a solid starting position for the evening’s feature. Despite the intense competition, the NAPA driver showcased his resilience, advancing from seventh to sixth in the main event.
The strong performance at Golden Isles puts Sweet and the NAPA team second in the points standings with 225 points, just 18 points shy of High Limit Racing points leader Tyler Courtney. The Kasey Kahne Racing team will take the month of March off from competition to prepare for the remainder of the season before heading to Arkansas and Texas in April.
Start / Finish:
Thursday, Feb. 22: 8 / 6
Saturday, Feb. 24: 7 / 6
Points Standing / Total: 225 pts. / 2nd (-18)
Next Race: Tuesday, April 9, Riverside International Speedway, West Memphis, Arkansas
How to Watch or Listen:
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By NAPA
The Battle of the Bay at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa marked the opening of the High Limit Racing season, and Brad Sweet and the
link hidden, please login to view No. 49 team of Kasey Kahne Racing arrived intent to make their mark on the points standings from the start.
With 56 cars in attendance for the first night at East Bay, the NAPA No. 49 hit the top of the charts in qualifying with a lap time of 12.550 seconds. Heat race action followed, and the Big Cat battled his way from fourth to third, punching his ticket to the dash by being the fastest car in his heat. In the dash, Sweet showed consistent speed by charging from third to second.
The action on night one of the Battle at the Bay truly heated up during the evening’s feature race. Despite starting strong in second place, the NAPA driver faced formidable competition and slid back in the field. The five-time World of Outlaws champion showed his determination though, and he fought his way to a fourth-place finish.
That was just the beginning for the NAPA team. Because Sweet secured a fourth-place finish in Monday’s preliminary event, he was automatically locked into the heat races on night two, bypassing qualifying. This placed him fourth to start in Heat Race 4, where he revealed the speed of the NAPA machine on the 1/3-mile oval. Sweet charged to the lead, winning his heat and placing himself first to start the dash.
Sweet took charge in the seven-lap dash and never looked back, earning the win. Finally, the 30-lap A-main took the green flag to mark the final race of the two-day event. Launching the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 like a rocket, Sweet quickly caught the tail of the field. Competitor Tyler Courtney managed to sneak by the Big Cat for the lead, and Sweet lost another spot after a tough battle. He brought the No. 49 machine to the checkered flag in third, earning a spot on the East Bay podium.
Next up for Sweet and the NAPA team is Deuces Wild at Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, GA.
Start / Finish:
Monday, Feb. 12: 2 / 4
Tuesday, Feb. 13: 1 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 133 pts.
Next Race: Thursday, Feb. 22, Golden Isles Speedway, Waynesville, GA
How to Watch or Listen:
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