RUSH HOUR: Sweet Maneuvers Strong in Traffic, Wins Fourth of Season at River Cities

With its small size and high speeds, it pays to be good in traffic at River Cities Speedway. Brad Sweet shined bright in that department Friday night, and it paid him his fourth victory of the season with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

Sweet, beginning a push toward a fourth-straight Series championship as the tour enters the final third of the season, bagged his second career victory at the high-banked 1/4-mile oval in convincing fashion, making the pass for the lead on Sheldon Haudenschild in traffic and fending-off all challengers to secure the win.

“That’s kinda what makes it racey here at [River Cities] – the lapped traffic is really tricky, and being so small, you’re in traffic so quick,” Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA, said. “You’ve got to make quick decisions and you’ve got to have a car that maneuvers on different parts of the racetrack.”

Taking the green from third on the starting grid, Sweet wasted zero time in his drive to the lead, getting around outside polesitter Spencer Bayston on Lap 2 and making a beeline for leader Haudenschild.

Haudenschild started his charge through slower traffic strong, making moves quickly and maintaining space between himself and Sweet. That was, until he reached the tail tank of Jade Hastings on Lap 11, who was also running the top side through Turns 3-4. This impeded his path just enough for Sweet to make a dive down low and take the spot away at the exit of Turn 4.

From there on out, it was smooth sailing for Sweet. Inside, outside, it didn’t seem to matter where the lapped cars in front of him were racing – Sweet was passing them with little-to-no hesitation.

“I felt good once I got to lapped traffic,” Sweet said. “You always want to get to those first couple of lapped cars and be able to clear them pretty quick. It makes you feel like you’ve got a little bit of a gap.”

As Sweet’s gap widened, David Gravel was making moves of his own toward the front. With a big head of steam out of Turn 2 and into Turn 3 on Lap 14, Gravel threw a big slide job on Haudenschild to take second, and from there began his trek to Sweet’s rear bumper.

A few caution flags bunched the field back up multiple times over the next 15 laps, giving Gravel and third-running Carson Macedo more opportunities to make a move for the lead from behind.

But neither seemed to have anything for the defending Series champion. Though Gravel and Macedo tried in the final laps, both were unable to catch the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 as Sweet drove away with the $10,000 check.

“On that final run with 11-to-go, I felt like I was able to pace [Sweet], but once I got to that first lapped car, I did not get around him very good and he was able to set sail,” Gravel, of Watertown, CT, said. “I think we had a car capable of winning, just needed a couple little things to go our way.”

Macedo, trailing both Gravel and Sweet in the championship standings, crossed the stripe in third after starting fifth. The run was his third-straight podium finish and 19th of such kind this season, backing-up he and the Jason Johnson Racing team’s momentum swing from a big win last weekend.

“We got to traffic and it would just start to play-out, then a caution would come,” Macedo, of Lemoore, CA, said. “Sometimes, that’s just the way it works.

“I thought the only way we were going to get by [Sweet and Gravel] would have been if they really got to mixing it up in traffic. I was praying for that.”

Sweet’s win now gives him three victories in the last nine World of Outlaws standard points events. It’s coming at a great time to make a push for the points title, especially after the win-shy start to the year they endured.

“It’s been a trying year, no doubt,” Sweet said. “We’re not used to the struggles, but I noticed a lot of teams are having similar struggles. I think everybody’s just searching with their race cars and trying to figure out what’s changing on a nightly basis.”

“With the slow start, we’re a little light in the win column. Obviously, [my] guys deserve to win a lot more.”

UP NEXT

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are back in action Saturday night, August 27, at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, ND. Tickets are available online at WorldofOutlaws.com or at the gate on race day.

If you can’t be at the track in person, watch every lap live with a FAST PASS subscription to DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps)

1. 49-Brad Sweet [3][$10,000]; 2. 2-David Gravel [4][$6,000]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo [5][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [11][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [1][$2,500]; 6. 5-Spencer Bayston [2][$2,300]; 7. 83-James McFadden [7][$2,200]; 8. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [10][$2,100]; 9. 5T-Ryan Timms [17][$2,050]; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen [9][$2,000]; 11. 13-Mark Dobmeier [8][$1,600]; 12. 14T-Tim Estenson [13][$1,400]; 13. 21K-Thomas Kennedy [12][$1,200]; 14. 7S-Robbie Price [14][$1,100]; 15. 11K-Kraig Kinser [21][$1,050]; 16. 11M-Brendan Mullen [18][$1,000]; 17. 6-Bill Rose [16][$1,000]; 18. 20G-Noah Gass [19][$1,000]; 19. 2A-Austin Pierce [20][$1,000]; 20. 8H-Jade Hastings [22][$1,000]; 21. 9N-Wade Nygaard [15][$1,000]; 22. 1S-Logan Schuchart [6][$1,000]; 23. 20A-Jordan Adams [24][$1,000]; 24. O-Nick Omdahl [23][$1,000] KSE Hard Charger Award: 5T-Ryan Timms[+8]

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2nd Leg of the Northern Tour
August 26, 2022
River Cities Speedway
2300 Gateway Dr
Grand Forks, ND 

Event Description
The World of Outlaws return north to battle around North Dakota's popular bullring.

Series Racing
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series

To Win Amount
$10,000.00

Feature Laps Length
35

Event Schedule
2PM Pit Gates open
5PM Grandstand Gates open
6:30PM Hot Laps/Qualifying
7:30PM Opening Ceremonies
*All times Central

Ticket Phone
(815) 344-2023

Options And Prices
Adult Pit Combo $48 (Pit pass and reserved seat-if purchased in advance online)
Child Pit Combo (Ages 12-under): $32
Adult Reserved: $45
Child Reserved: $20
Adult General Admission: $40
Child (6-12) General Admission: $20
Kids 5 and under FREE GA
Race Day Adult Pit Pass $45
Race Day Child Pit Pass $30

Anyone under the age of 18 MUST have a parent (Mother or Father) or legal guardian complete the release form at the pit gate.


TICKET INFO

Grandstand Type
Select rows in main grandstand have seat back

Family Section Location
no

Handicapped Seating Location
bottom row of main covered grandstands

Pit Age Requirement
NO age restriction for pits. 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent/ guardian.

Pit Gate Location
East side of the track

Parking Cost
free

Handicapped Parking Location
Front gate

Camping Availability
electric hookup, onsite

Camping Cost
$20 with water

To Win Amount
$10,000.00

Type of Grandstand
Select rows in main grandstand have seat back

Stadium Seating
reserved seats in section A-R
General in East East grandstand

Handicapped Seating
bottom row of main covered grandstands

Handicapped Parking
Front gate

Pit Age Limit
NO age restriction for pits. 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent/ guardian.

Pit Gate Location
East side of the track

Personal Coolers
no coolers allowed

ATMs
1

Credit Card Use
Pit Gate, Ticket Window

Alcohol Sales
yes

Smoking Policy
no smoking in grandstands, smoking permitted in designated areas

Family Section
no

Parking Cost
free

Camping Availability
electric hookup, onsite

Camping Cost
$20 with water

River Cities Speedway
2300 Gateway Dr
Grand Forks, ND 

Track Phone
(701) 780-0999

Ticket Phone
(815) 344-2023

Track Email
[email protected]

Track Size & Type
0.250; high banked

Sprint Car Track Record
9.269 seconds by Jason Meyers on 8/21/09

Late Model Track Record
11.321 seconds by Mike Marlar on 7/13/18

Late Model Track Record
11.321 seconds by Mike Marlar on 7/13/18

Closest Airport
Grand Forks Int'l

Other Airport
Fargo

Pit Gate Location
East side of the track

Track Map

Competitor Downloads
 https://www.dirtcarmembers.com/downloads.php