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The first week of March took the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series back to where the 2023 season started: Barberville, Florida. While the annual Bike Week kicked off in nearby Daytona Beach, 23 competitors arrived at Volusia Speedway Park to compete in the Spring Showdown as well as to make up a rained out race from the Dirtcar Nationals three weeks prior.

Brad Sweet, driver of the No. 49

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sprint car, was eighth in the qualifying order and hit the charts at 13.930 seconds, placing him seventh overall. That put the Big Cat third to start in Heat Race 1. With a relatively wet track at the green flag of the first heat race, cars quickly spread out and made passing difficult. Sweet finished his heat race where he started in third place.

Brad Sweet NAPA Auto Parts 49 Spring Showdown Volusia 2023

Placed seventh to start the feature, Sweet and the No. 49 team were looking to advance. At the start, Sweet was shuffled back to ninth when his line was slower on the start. The four-time and defending series champion made every attempts to move forward, but the track was still too fast, and cars were lapping the circuit in a single lane. Battling dirty air from cars ahead, the NAPA No. 49 crossed the checkers in ninth place.

Brad Sweet NAPA Auto Parts 49 Spring Showdown Volusia 2023

The second portion of Sunday night’s event included the make-up Dash and A-main from the rained-out Saturday night of the Dirtcar Nationals three weeks prior. With a chance to improve the car for the  current track conditions, Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team saw a shot at redemption. Rolling off sixth in the six-lap Dash offered Sweet a six-lap opportunity to earn improve his starting spot in the A-main. From the drop of the green flag, Sweet’s NAPA machine came to life and launched him up to third place. Sweet looked to gain another spot but ran out of time.

Brad Sweet NAPA Auto Parts 49 Spring Showdown Volusia 2023

With 30 laps to contest in the feature, Sweet was ready to use all 900 horsepower the No. 49 car could offer to make his move to the front. With an ideal setup, Sweet proved quick as the field took off. Running the preferred line, the NAPA driver made several charges to pass the leader. Sweet ultimately crossed the line in second, the podium finish offering redemption for the team’s unremarkable outcome earlier in the evening.

Monday marked the second night of the Spring Showdown and the final night of racing in Florida for the 2023 season. With 23 cars signed into competition, Sweet went out 17th in qualifying and laid down a lap time of 13.668 seconds, good for ninth quickest overall. Starting third in Heat Race 3, Sweet knew he needed to pick up at least one spot to advance to the Fast Pass Dash. When the green flag dropped on his heat race, Sweet launched into second and held the spot, locking him into the Dash.

Brad Sweet NAPA Auto Parts 49 Spring Showdown Volusia 2023

“We are struggling a little bit, but the Dash gets you those extra laps to get your car a little better,” Sweet said during the Dash draw. “Hopefully we can have a good finish with our NAPA Auto Parts car down here at Volusia. We’ve had a lot of fun, and I’ve been down here quite a bit, so hopefully we can finish strong.”

After drawing the fifth spot to start the Dash, Sweet had six laps to improve his starting spot in the A-main. At the drop of the green, Sweet drove around the outside to claim fourth, holding the spot to the checkered flag.

Brad Sweet NAPA Auto Parts 49 Spring Showdown Volusia 2023

Sweet focused on making strides toward the front when he rolled off from fourth in the 30-lap A-main. The NAPA driver quickly advanced to third following the drop of the green flag. After a mid-race caution, the No. 49 spun its tires on the restart and fell back to sixth, where the NAPA team ultimately finished.

Brad Sweet NAPA Auto Parts 49 Spring Showdown Volusia 2023

Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts team will enjoy some days off before they make their way to Port Royal, Penn., for the next Outlaws event.

Start / Finish: 
Sunday, Mar. 5, Spring Showdown: 7 / 9
Sunday, Mar. 5, Dirtcar Nationals make-up: 3 / 2
Monday, Mar. 6, Spring Showdown: 4 / 6
Points Standing / Total: 7th / 666 pts. (-56)

Next Race: Friday, March 10, Port Royal Speedway, Port Royal, Penn.
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    • By NAPA
      Brad Sweet and the
      link hidden, please login to view No. 49 team had an exciting and eventful week of racing starting in Lincoln, NE, before continuing on to Knoxville Raceway in Iowa to compete with the World of Outlaws. On Tuesday, June 11th, Sweet arrived at Eagle Raceway to vie for the $50,000-to-win Bikini Zone Eagle Nationals. The day began with a special visit to the local Lincoln NAPA Auto Parts store, where Sweet had the pleasure of meeting store owner Randy Sell, his employees, and VIP customers. Following the private meet-and-greet, the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 team hosted 30 guests from the Lincoln NAPA store at the track for an evening of high-energy sprint car racing.
      To start off the competition, Sweet qualified ninth in Flight A with a time of 11.661 seconds. Setting the lineup for Heat Race action, the NAPA No.49 made an impressive move from fifth to third. The evening’s feature was a showcase of Sweet’s skill as he surged from 13th to finish in the runner-up position. The NAPA driver gave leader Kyle Larson no room to spare, and his impressive advance thrilled the crowd and made for a wildly entertaining race.
      As a result of his strong showing, Sweet extended his lead in the points standings. He now holds 1,612 points, maintaining a 76-point lead over the second-place competitor Tyler Courtney.
      With a scheduled off weekend from the High Limit Racing Series, Sweet and the KKR team opted to gain extra track time by heading to Knoxville Raceway to compete with the World of Outlaws. The visit to “The Sprint Car Capital of the World” allowed the team some extra preparation ahead of the Knoxville Nationals in August.
      On Friday, June 14th, Sweet and the team took a chance on testing set-ups before the big dance in August. The Big Cat qualified 12th in Flight B with a time of 16.390 seconds. In heat race competition, Sweet advanced from sixth to fifth, and in Friday night’s feature, he charged from 20th to 15th. The NAPA team still had one more chance to progress on their set-ups for Knoxville Raceway the following night.
      Saturday night proved to be a night of redemption as Sweet continued to push the limits. Qualifying 10th in Flight B with a time of 16.306 seconds, the NAPA Auto Parts No.49 was on the move. Sweet went on to power through his heat race, finishing third after starting from fifth. In the final feature of the weekend, Sweet demonstrated his skills once again, climbing from 12th to finish ninth when the checkered flag dropped.
      Start / Finish:
      Tuesday, June 11, Eagle Raceway: 13 / 2
      Friday, June 14, Knoxville Raceway: 20 /15
      Saturday, June 15, Knoxville Raceway: 12 / 9
      Points Standing / Total: 1st / 1,612 pts. (+76)
      Next Race: Wednesday, June 19, Huset’s Speedway, Brandon, SD
      How to Watch or Listen: 
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    • By NAPA
      Chase Elliott and the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view team qualified fourth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, leading the Hendrick Motorsports contingent. The 28-year-old driver finished stage one in fourth and followed that up with a 31st-place result in stage two after short pitting. In the final stage, Elliott took over the lead on lap 81 during the pit cycle prior to visiting pit road on lap 84 for four tires and fuel. Rejoining the race in the 12th position, he battled back to fourth before the checkered flag waved. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native advanced to second in the driver points standings and is now just 14 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters team qualified fourth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, leading Hendrick Motorsports’ four-car contingent. Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 showed speed from the drop of the green flag. He maintained his fourth-place running position in the opening laps. When the caution flag was displayed on lap three, Elliott relayed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that the NAPA Gold Filters Chevy’s handling wasn’t bad. Opting to restart from the outside lane in the third row, the 28-year-old driver retook the fourth position on lap seven and remained there until the yellow flag waved again on lap 16. Staying out under the caution, he restarted from third on lap 19 and was scored in fourth when another incident brought out the caution the very same lap. The No. 9 team opted not to pit, and Elliott took the green flag from the second row on lap 23. With the remainder of the stage going caution-free, the 2020 Cup Series champion took the green-and-white checkered flag in the fourth position at the conclusion of lap 25.
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      Next Race: Sunday, June 16, Iowa Speedway
      How to Watch or Listen: USA, MRN or SiriusXM
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    • By NAPA
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      Despite the rain-out at Davenport, Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team extended their points lead with the runner-up and top-five finishes. Sweet now leads the standings with a solid, 65-point advantage over second place. Eagle Raceway, a favorite from the 2023 season, is next on the schedule with a $55,000-to-win event.
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    • By NAPA
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    • By NAPA
      Brad Sweet is back on top of the High Limit Racing points standings after three events in three different states in the past week. The
      link hidden, please login to view No. 49 team powered their way through Pennsylvania, Indiana and Michigan to build up a 16-point lead over second-place Tyler Courtney. Sweet started strong with a mid-week run at Grandview Speedway in Pennsylvania. The No. 49 machine was quickest in Flight A qualifying with a lap time of 11.848 seconds. In his heat race, the Big Cat experienced a minor setback; he started fourth and dropped to fifth. Still, his strong qualifying result earned him a spot in the dash. In the seven-lap dash, Sweet drove from sixth to fourth. When the time came for the evening’s feature, the NAPA team showed their machine was competitive. Sweet rocketed from fourth to first, but after getting caught up in lapped traffic, the No. 49 tagged the wall. He then slipped back to his starting spot and finished fourth.
      The Kasey Kahne Racing team moved on to Indiana, where Sweet faced a challenging qualifying round at Lawrenceburg Speedway as the first car to go out. A time of 12.712 seconds placed the NAPA team 12th overall, so Sweet knew it was crucial to gain spots ahead of the evening’s feature. He did just that in his heat race, moving from third to second, but missed the dash and transferred directly to the main event. Surging forward from his ninth-place starting spot, the NAPA driver climbed to just shy of a podium finish. Still, his fourth-place result put Sweet back on top of the High Limit Racing points race.
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      The team makes their way next to Davenport, Iowa, where mid-week High Limit Racing is set to continue.
      Start / Finish: 
      Tuesday, May 28, Grandview Speedway: 4 / 4
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      Next Race: Tuesday, June 4, Davenport Speedway
      How to Watch or Listen: 
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      link hidden, please login to viewBrad Sweet:  link hidden, please login to view
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