By Dick Jordan
Brad Sweet, the fastest qualifier for last year’s USAC Midget race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dirt track, is headed back to the 1/2-mile dirt oval for Thursday night’s “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic.” Sunday he won the 30-lap Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt” USAC Mopar National/Western Midget race at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz.
Sweet finished 14th at LVMS last year and hopes to improve on that as he comes to Las Vegas as the 2010 USAC Mopar National and Western Midget point leader. He led 24 of the 30 laps at Tucson in his Kasey Kahne Racing Ollie’s Bargain Outlets/Auto Value Spike/Mopar, including the last three after passing Tracy Hines on lap 28. Hines slipped to third at the finish behind Bobby East, as Dave Darland and defending USAC National Midget Champion Brad Kuhn rounded out the “top-five” at the checkered flag.
Sweet was Friday’s fastest Midget qualifier at Tucson but rains forced postponement of Saturday’s scheduled events to Sunday.
Thursday’s “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic” which also feature the USAC Amsoil National/CRA Sprint Cars, gets under way with practice at 3 pm. Fans are encouraged to meet their favorite USAC stars during the autograph session on the Dirt Track’s midway from 5:15-6:15 p.m.
Two-time USAC National Midget Champ and “Triple Crown” titlist Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. is the defending winner of the Las Vegas Midget feature. He finished ninth at Tucson.
USAC MOPAR NATIONAL MIDGET SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Brad Sweet-73; 2-Bobby East-63; 3-Tracy Hines-63; 4-Dave Darland-58; 5-Brad Kuhn-52; 6-Bryan Clauson-52; 7-Brad Loyet-49; 8-Darren Hagen-47; 9-Jerry Coons Jr.-44; 10-Tanner Swanson-39.
USAC MOPAR WESTERN MIDGET SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Brad Sweet-73; 2-Bobby East-63; 3-Tracy Hines-63; 4-Dave Darland-58; 5-Brad Kuhn-52; 6-Bryan Clauson-52; 7-Brad Loyet-49; 8-Darren Hagen-47; 9-Jerry Coons Jr.-44; 10-Tanner Swanson-39.