JACKSON, Mn. (June 27, 2019) – Questions with no clear answers lingered in heads of thousands like a painless headache during the final three laps of the Jackson Nationals opening Thursday night race at the Jackson Motorplex.
Could Brad Sweet catch David Gravel? Could Gravel hold Sweet off?
Gravel had the 4/10-mile tamed, leading every lap up until that point. But on a charge behind him, the untamable “Big Cat” Sweet.
With two laps to go, they were side by side down the back stretch. Gravel hesitated for a millisecond on a lap car’s trajectory, while Sweet didn’t blink, darting underneath the lap car and Gravel into turn three and claiming the lead off turn four.
From there the answer was clear. Sweet would go on to win his sixth World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race of the season – his 40th career win and third win in-a-row.
“It’s sure fun to drive this thing right now,” said a jubilant Sweet. “We’ve really hit on some stuff. It’s been a joy to drive good the last few weeks.
“I’m a little worn out, I was really clutching the wheel, trying to hit my marks there late in that race. I knew it was coming down to the white there.”
The win may have been Sweet’s sixth of the season – further extending his title as winningest driver, so far, this year – but it was one of the hardest wins he had to work for.
Starting sixth in the 30-lap Feature, Sweet had a host of competitive cars between he and the lead. Also, on the start, Gravel cruised by Donny Schatz on the outside for the lead and the two pulled away to about a straightaway gap on third-place Brian Brown.
It took Sweet two laps to make his way by Terry McCarl for fifth-place, but it was another nine laps before he caught Brown and Daryn Pittman who were battling for third. He made quick work of the two, passing them both with a daring drive through turn three and four, leaving inches between he and Pittman’s car.
Three laps later Sweet made his way by second-place Schatz and set his sight on closing the half-a-straightaway gap between he and Gravel with 15 laps to go. However, Schatz, who hadn’t won in seven races, was still determined to close that gap himself.
With Sweet getting held up by a lap car in turn four, Schatz throttled back by the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 car and put his Toco Warranty No. 15 car back in second. Sweet had to regroup and find this rhythm riding the bottom of the track again. Two laps later, with a slide job through turns three and four, Sweet cleared Schatz on the front stretch and reclaimed second-place.
He now had 12 laps to catch the Mesilla Valley Transportation No. 41 of Gravel.
Could he catch him? With three laps to go, Sweet had Gravel in sight. Two laps to go they were side by side. After Sweet darted by Gravel and a lap car in turn three, Gravel had to throw his car sideways on the exit of turn four to avoid hitting another lap car. From there, with one lap to go, Sweet pulled away to a half second lead and a $10,000 victory.
“I was hunkered down and determined to catch him (Gravel),” Sweet said. “It always helps sometimes to be in second, you can watch where he’s not running and try to find a line.”
Carrying the weight of defeat in every word, runner-up Gravel congratulated Sweet on the win, but knew the race should’ve been his.
“We had the race winning car there,” said Gravel, who set Quick Time and won his Drydene Heat race earlier in the night. “That’s not our issue. As a driver I’ve got to put myself in a better spot there. We’ll come back tomorrow hungrier.”
Schatz’s third-place finish was his first podium finish since he won at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway at the end of May. However, he was still looking for more.
“You slip a little bit, and someone is going to take advantage of it,” Schatz said. “So, it’s one of them nights.”
Sweet has extended his points lead over Schatz, the 10-time Series champion to a 60-point advantage. That stems from Sweet claiming 10 top-five finishes in-a-row and his determination to keep winning.
“When you start winning races you’re just never satisfied unless you’re winning,” Sweet said. “I guess when you get beat down by Donny year after year you just try to keep getting better. I think this year, we’re just a little bit better right now, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot. Everybody’s a half a turn or change or something away from putting the pressure back on us. We’re just ahead right now and that allows me to keep leading laps and winning more race. It just gives me confidence.”
With one more preliminary night of racing at the Jackson Motorplex on Friday, the question of who will win Saturday night’s $41,000-to-win Jackson Nationals finale will linger for the next 48 hours.
However, with a win on night one, Sweet and his Kasey Kahne Racing team have set themselves up to possibly answer that question, as well.
Qualifying Flight-A
1. 41-David Gravel, 12.752
2. 41S-Giovanni Scelzi, 12.766
3. 83-Daryn Pittman, 12.888
4. 1A-Jacob Allen, 12.916
5. 9-James McFadden, 12.922
6. 4-Terry McCarl, 12.943
7. 5-Shane Stewart, 13.001
8. O9-Matt Juhl, 13.043
9. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 13.08
10. 44S-Trey Starks, 13.181
11. 3-Jac Haudenschild, 13.213
12. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.262
13. 13-Mark Dobmeier, 13.414
14. 44-Chris Martin, 13.467
15. 8-Jack Croaker, 13.518
16. 5J-Jamie Ball, 13.668
17. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips, 13.677
18. 33M-Mason Daniel, 13.706
19. 2K-Kevin Ingle, 13.868
20. 1AJ-Trevor Mell, 14.029
21. O5-Colin Smith, 14.059
Qualifying Flight-B
1. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.811
2. 21-Brian Brown, 12.966
3. 18-Ian Madsen, 12.969
4. 7-Justin Henderson, 12.995
5. 2-Carson Macedo, 13.016
6. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 13.04
7. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 13.09
8. 83R-Lynton Jeffrey, 13.104
9. 15-Donny Schatz, 13.11
10. 7S-Jason Sides, 13.156
11. 49X-Tim Shaffer, 13.178
12. 19P-Paige Polyak, 13.33
13. 2KS-Austin McCarl, 13.376
14. 35-Skylar Prochaska, 13.468
15. 19-Brent Marks, 13.496
16. 7W-R.J. Johnson, 13.522
17. 55-Brooke Tatnell, 13.563
18. 3P-Sawyer Phillips, 13.617
19. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 13.618
20. 16-Travis Whitney, 13.729
21. 97-Alan Gilbertson, 14.024
DRYDENE Heat #1 – Flight (A) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 41-David Gravel [1]
2. 83-Daryn Pittman [2]
3. 9-James McFadden [3]
4. 5-Shane Stewart [4]
5. 13-Mark Dobmeier [7]
6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5]
7. 3-Jac Haudenschild [6]
8. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips [9]
9. 8-Jack Croaker [8]
10. O5-Colin Smith [11]
11. 2K-Kevin Ingle [10]
DRYDENE Heat #2 – Flight (A) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 1A-Jacob Allen [2]
2. 4-Terry McCarl [3]
3. O9-Matt Juhl [4]
4. 41S-Giovanni Scelzi [1]
5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [6]
6. 44S-Trey Starks [5]
7. 44-Chris Martin [7]
8. 33M-Mason Daniel [9]
9. 5J-Jamie Ball [8]
10. 1AJ-Trevor Mell [10]
DRYDENE Heat #3 – Flight (B) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 49-Brad Sweet [1]
2. 15-Donny Schatz [5]
3. 18-Ian Madsen [2]
4. 2-Carson Macedo [3]
5. 49X-Tim Shaffer [6]
6. 2M-Kerry Madsen [4]
7. 55-Brooke Tatnell [9]
8. 2KS-Austin McCarl [7]
9. 19-Brent Marks [8]
10. 2C-Wayne Johnson [10]
11. 97-Alan Gilbertson [11]
DRYDENE Heat #4 – Flight (B) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 7-Justin Henderson [2]
2. 21-Brian Brown [1]
3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3]
4. 83R-Lynton Jeffrey [4]
5. 7S-Jason Sides [5]
6. 19P-Paige Polyak [6]
7. 35-Skylar Prochaska [7]
8. 7W-R.J. Johnson [8]
9. 3P-Sawyer Phillips [9]
10. 16-Travis Whitney [10]
DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash (6 Laps)
1. 15-Donny Schatz [1]
2. 41-David Gravel [4]
3. 21-Brian Brown [6]
4. 4-Terry McCarl [2]
5. 1A-Jacob Allen [3]
6. 49-Brad Sweet [7]
7. 7-Justin Henderson [5]
8. 83-Daryn Pittman [8]
C-Main (10 Laps) – Top 2 Transfer
1. 55-Brooke Tatnell [2][-]
2. 2C-Wayne Johnson [6][-]
3. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips [1][$125]
4. 33M-Mason Daniel [3][$125]
5. 16-Travis Whitney [8][$125]
6. 97-Alan Gilbertson [10][$125]
7. O5-Colin Smith [9][$125]
8. 1AJ-Trevor Mell [7][$125]
9. 3P-Sawyer Phillips [4][$125]
10. 2K-Kevin Ingle [5][$100]
Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer
1. 2M-Kerry Madsen [2][-]
2. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1][-]
3. 3-Jac Haudenschild [5][-]
4. 2KS-Austin McCarl [6][-]
5. 44S-Trey Starks [3][$300]
6. 19-Brent Marks [10][$250]
7. 19P-Paige Polyak [4][$225]
8. 2C-Wayne Johnson [14][$200]
9. 35-Skylar Prochaska [8][$200]
10. 44-Chris Martin [7][$200]
11. 5J-Jamie Ball [11][$150]
12. 55-Brooke Tatnell [13][$150]
13. 7W-R.J. Johnson [12][$150]
14. 8-Jack Croaker [9][$150]
NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps)
1. 49-Brad Sweet [6][$10,000]
2. 41-David Gravel [2][$5,000]
3. 15-Donny Schatz [1][$3,000]
4. 83-Daryn Pittman [8][$2,700]
5. 21-Brian Brown [3][$2,500]
6. 9-James McFadden [9][$2,000]
7. 18-Ian Madsen [10][$1,800]
8. 2-Carson Macedo [14][$1,600]
9. 1A-Jacob Allen [5][$1,500]
10. 4-Terry McCarl [4][$1,400]
11. 5-Shane Stewart [13][$1,300]
12. 7-Justin Henderson [7][$1,200]
13. 2M-Kerry Madsen [21][$1,100]
14. 41S-Giovanni Scelzi [15][$1,000]
15. 49X-Tim Shaffer [18][$950]
16. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [19][$925]
17. O9-Matt Juhl [11][$900]
18. 1S-Logan Schuchart [12][$850]
19. 13-Mark Dobmeier [17][$825]
20. 7S-Jason Sides [20][$800]
21. 11K-Kraig Kinser [22][$800]
22. 3-Jac Haudenschild [23][$800]
23. 83R-Lynton Jeffrey [16][$800]
24. 2KS-Austin McCarl [24][$800]
Lap Leaders: David Gravel 1-28, Brad Sweet 29-30
KSE Hard Charger Award: 2M-Kerry Madsen[+8]
Winged 305 Sprint Cars
Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 23-Brandon Bosma, [1]
2. 22-Kaleb Johnson, [6]
3. 45-Monty Ferriera, [2]
4. 05-Colin Smith, [7]
5. 2D-Dusty Ballenger, [5]
6. 2H-Bill Boles, [9]
7. 33S-Jeremy Schultz, [3]
8. 15-Zach Glaser, [4]
9. 77-Taylor Ryan, [10]
10. (DNF) 1S-Ryan Voss, [8]
Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 10-Trevor Serbus, [1]
2. 05X-Brandon Allen, [2]
3. 56-Bill Johnson, [4]
4. 4SS-Jody Rosenboom, [6]
5. 7L-Jesse Lindberg, [3]
6. 4S-Michael Stien, [10]
7. 7X-Shane Fick, [7]
8. 7JL-Jared Jansen, [9]
9. 83-Sam Henderson, [8]
(DQ) 12L-John Lambertz, [5]
Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 1CC-Clayton Christensen, [2]
2. 11A-Bruce Anderson, [3]
3. 48-Jake Martens, [8]
4. 20-Brant O’Banion, [5]
5. 5J-Javen Ostermann, [4]
6. 1B-Brett Geldner, [1]
7. 51A-Elliot Amdahl, [9]
8. 7-Johnny Sullivan, [6]
9. 8-Micah Slendy, [7]
10. 35-Blaine Stegenga, [10]
B-Main (12 Laps)
1. 12L-John Lambertz, [12]
2. 7X-Shane Fick, [2]
3. 51A-Elliot Amdahl, [3]
4. 33S-Jeremy Schultz, [1]
5. 15-Zach Glaser, [4]
6. 7JL-Jared Jansen, [5]
7. 7-Johnny Sullivan, [6]
8. 1S-Ryan Voss, [11]
9. 8-Micah Slendy, [9]
10. 35-Blaine Stegenga, [10]
11. 83-Sam Henderson, [8]
12. 77-Taylor Ryan, [7]
A-Main (20 Laps)
1. 48-Jake Martens, [2]
2. 56-Bill Johnson, [4]
3. 23-Brandon Bosma, [3]
4. 22-Kaleb Johnson, [9]
5. 4SS-Jody Rosenboom, [11]
6. 45-Monty Ferriera, [1]
7. 1CC-Clayton Christensen, [6]
8. 05-Colin Smith, [10]
9. 10-Trevor Serbus, [7]
10. 05X-Brandon Allen, [8]
11. 12L-John Lambertz, [19]
12. 20-Brant O’Banion, [12]
13. 2D-Dusty Ballenger, [13]
14. 7L-Jesse Lindberg, [14]
15. 7X-Shane Fick, [20]
16. 4S-Michael Stien, [17]
17. 11A-Bruce Anderson, [5]
18. 5J-Javen Ostermann, [15]
19. 2H-Bill Boles, [16]
20. 1B-Brett Geldner, [18]