MECHANICSBURG, Pa.: There are a lot of dirt tracks around the country in which Brad Sweet excels in World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series competition. It’s helped him pile up wins and earn championships.
Williams Grove Speedway isn’t one of them. In fact, the tricky paperclip configuration almost cost him a title or two with the traveling series.
Other drivers, such as Carson Macedo, David Gravel, and Donny Schatz can’t wait to get to the Grove. It’s a chance to take advantage of one of the few tracks that Sweet has struggled at over the years.
That wasn’t the case Friday night. Sweet not only showed speed, he contended for the win. He harassed leader Brent Marks for much of the 25-Lap event before fading late and settling for a fourth-place finish and the title of top Outlaw performer on Night 1 of the Champion Oil Summer Nationals.
“We’ve been working on a package here and actually getting better and getting me more comfortable,” Sweet said. “There were points tonight that I had a car that was definitely capable of winning the race.
“In the Dash, I had a really good racecar and was able to move around the racetrack, so I think it gives the guys some confidence, it gives me confidence, and gives me a feel that I’m actually looking for here.
“I think we missed it a little in the A-Main, but not a lot. I’m not surprised with Lance the way the racetrack went. He was able to be better down low, and we weren’t stuck enough to go down there, so I wasn’t surprised he drove by me. For us to get out of here with a fourth and good momentum for tomorrow, I feel pretty good about it.”
This hasn’t been the year Sweet and his team envisioned. Forget about his well-documented Williams Grove struggles, Sweet is in the midst of a 31-race winless streak that dates back to New Mexico’s Vado Speedway Park in March.
But it isn’t just about the 2022 season. Uncharacteristically, Sweet hasn’t won on a half-mile racetrack since May 29 of last year in a regular show at Knoxville Raceway. In World of Outlaws competition, it goes back to May 1, 2021 at I-70 Speedway.
“Believe it or not, besides Bristol and Port [Royal], which are tracks with really long straightaways, at Knoxville in June I felt as good as I have at Knoxville in years,” Sweet said. “The Kings Royal, without that flat tire, I think we contend for the win. We didn’t get to show that, but we were really competitive all weekend.
“I get it. We are just used to seeing the 49-Car in Victory Lane at Cedar Lake and Beaver Dam, places we’ve won at year after year. We didn’t get wins, and we just haven’t been able to get momentum on our side. Some of it is my fault, and some of it is adapting to whatever is changing and getting the feel we are looking for.”
Continued Sweet, “But I feel really good at Knoxville, felt really good at Eldora, so there are some positives in our program, right now. I feel as good as I’ve ever felt. I’m in shape and ready to go. It’s just trying to find that balance I’m looking for and running with it.”
That seems to be a problem for a lot of teams on the road. See, despite Sweet’s inability to get to Victory Lane, the other drivers and teams haven’t been able to unseat him at the top of the point standings.
Sheldon Haudenschild and Carson Macedo have won the most races, but they still have those nights where they finish outside the top 10. David Gravel has struggled to get to Victory Lane, as has Donny Schatz.
It’s allowed Sweet to be consistent and control the championship chase. And Friday’s performance in which he battled with Dewease, Marks, and Anthony Macri, shows he is moving in the right direction, both at Williams Grove and on half-mile tracks.
“I always look at this swing as really our last bad swing,” Sweet said. “Once we go toward the Midwest — Pevely, Knoxville, Jackson, Grand Forks, out to Skagit, Chico, Placerville — those are tracks that are great for me. I gain confidence when I simply leave this swing, so for me to do well here is a good thing.
“It, obviously, helps our point situation and gives me more confidence coming into this place. I would love to get a National Open or just a win at this place. I think we are knocking on the door, finally.”
The speed was there. Sweet was fast in hot laps, second quick in qualifying, and won his heat. He moved up in the Dash and fought with the leaders in the main event.
That might be enough to push this team past the barrier that has been built at Williams Grove, or maybe not. Sweet understands this business, and he takes nothing for granted when it comes to racing in central Pennsylvania or anywhere else.
“Out here, it’s really easy to get down,” Sweet said. “I think I’m a really tough mental person, and I think that is just from all of my experience over the years and the battles I’ve had to endure. But I think you can still get me down even with that experience level, and this year it has showed.
“I lost a little confidence, and I think you make some bad decisions when you’re not super confident. We’ve made some bad decisions and got in some wrecks we shouldn’t have and lost some races we shouldn’t have.
“There is a whole other season in front of us with high-paying shows. If we keep our heads down, we can win races, and I’m really looking at Knoxville, which can make or break our season.”
DIETRICH VS. RAHMER: Things heated up in a hurry during heat-race action Friday night, and it had nothing to do with the weather.
During the third heat race, Freddie Rahmer and Danny Dietrich were battling for the fourth position. Dietrich felt he was chopped multiple times over the eight-lap event, and he had enough on the last lap.
The Gettysburg, Pa., driver felt Rahmer swerved on the backstretch on the white-flag lap. Heading into Turn 3, Dietrich clipped the rear nerf bar and spun Rahmer. The car dug in and turned over as the race went to the checker.
After the race, Rahmer and his legendary father, Fred Rahmer, went toward Dietrich’s car as he rolled down the pit lane and got in the cockpit. Dietrich’s crew members got involved in the incident before security broke it up.
Dietrich was interviewed by DIRTVision and indicated that he had enough of the blocking and chopping and wrapped up by saying, “Mess with the bull, you get the horns.” Rahmer didn’t comment on the incident.
The World of Outlaws rulebook states, “Any member and/or participant that goes into another competitor’s pit area and/or to another competitor’s car and becomes involved in any type of altercation will be subject to penalty and/or disqualification and/or fine and/or legal action and/or any other action deemed appropriate by World Racing Group Supervisory Officials.”
According to World of Outlaws Race Director Mike Hess, the tape of the incident would be reviewed after Friday night’s event, and officials would decide if punishments were warranted. Williams Grove officials indicated that it was a World of Outlaws event, and it was up to the series. They also stated that phone calls would be made to both parties during the week.
OTHER NOTES: Daryn Pittman has hooked up with car-owner Mike Heffner for a part-time schedule the rest of 2022. After this weekend, Pittman will run the car at the 360 and 410 Nationals, the Williams Grove National Open, and another show or two in the region. … Crew chief Shane Bowers has left the Brock Zearfoss camp to take a job in California. He will be scaling back his racing efforts and working with former driver Jason Meyers in various off-track businesses.