BRAD SWEET’S FIRST WILLIAMS GROVE WINS COMES IN CHAMPION RACING OIL SUMMER NATIONALS FINALE

By TODD HEINTZELMAN

MECHANICSBURG, PA – Brad Sweet has won the Knoxville Nationals and the King’s Royal, but had never won at Williams Grove Speedway.

The World of Outlaws point leader and three-time champion changed that stat on Saturday night using a late-race pass to win the $20,000 Champion Racing Oil Summer Nationals, and his first Williams Grove win. It also ended a 31-race winless streak for Sweet, who hadn’t won with the series since March.

“You know it’s a weird year when we’re at the Summer Nationals and I get my second win and it’s at Williams Grove,” Sweet said. “We’re gone through a lot of adversity this year. It’s been a tough year. We’ve been working on this Williams Grove set-up for a long time. It’s a pretty special night for us. It’s such a relief to win here. It was a great race and a racy race track.”

Sheldon Haudenschild led the field down to start the 30-lap Champion Racing Oil Summer Nationals finale. It was Donny Schatz grabbing the lead over Haudenschild, Brad Sweet and Danny Dietrich.

While the top four remained the same, eighth starter David Gravel wrestled fifth from Carson Macedo.

Haudenschild ran the middle groove keeping pace with Schatz running the top.

He ducked under him off the second turn taking the lead down the backstretch and into turn three with six laps completed.

Haudenschild began lapping cars with Schatz and Sweet in tow. They kept it close in traffic and then even heavier traffic at the half-way point.

Schatz raced inside of Haudenschild for the lead. Haudenschild got blocked in traffic off turn two. They raced side-by-side down the backstretch. Haudenschild got a great run around the top passing both Schatz and Logan Schuchart off turn four to keep the top spot.

A three-car crash in turn three stopped the race with 12 laps to go. Macedo, Anthony Macri and Kyle Larson were involved. All drivers were okay. Macri was the only car able to restart.

Haudenschild blasted the top on the restart with Schatz trying to hold back Sweet for second. James McFadden passed Gravel for fifth as Schatz maintained second.

With Haudenschild in control, a three- car race for second between Schatz, Sweet and Dietrich.

Sweet worked the middle groove racing by Schatz with seven to go. He was 1.8 second back of the leader.

Dietrich passed Schatz for third with six to go.

Sweet continued working the middle gaining on the leader. They closed on the back of the field with three to go.

Haudenschild jumped the fourth turn cushion and Sweet took the lead with two to go. Dietrich got under Haudenschild for second. He closed on Sweet on the final lap. The slower car of Brandon Rahmer was in Dietrich’s line turn one. This was enough to keep Sweet out front over the final lap.

Sweets’s win came by only .339 over Dietrich.

“Some of my driving habits don’t work for this place, so we had to build a completely different car to come to this race track,” Sweet said. “It’s going in the rafters and the next time it comes back out will be the National Open. My car was really good and I could move around.”

“Happy to be second,” Dietrich said. “Brad was good and was running the same line I was running in one and two. I was waiting on the track to come to me. With five to go, I decided to trunk the wing and let it eat. Just ran out of time. If Brandon would have followed Brad through three and four, I might have had a shot, but you never know. Maybe we could have drag-raced to the checkers, but it’s hard to say.”

Haudenschild, Schatz, and Freddie Rahmer completed the top five. McFadden, Gravel, Spencer Bayston, Jacob Allen and Brock Zearfoss rounded out the top 10.

Macri set quick time over the 35-car field with a lap of 17.258. James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Sweet and Macedo completed the top five in qualifying.

Schatz, McFadden, Gravel and Devon Borden won the heat races. Sheldon Haudenschild won the dash over Schatz and Sweet. Brandon Rahmer won the Last Chance Showdown over Brock Zearfoss, Kraig Kinser, and Brent Marks.

Feature Finishes

Champion Racing Oil Summer Nationals Sprint Car Feature (30 laps): 1. Brad Sweet. 2. Danny Dietrich. 3. Sheldon Haudenschild. 4. Donny Schatz. 5. Freddie Rahmer. 6. James McFadden. 7. David Gravel. 8. Spencer Bayston. 9. Jacob Allen. 10. Brock Zearfoss. 11. Devon Borden. 12. Brent Marks. 13. Dylan Norris. 14. TJ Stutts. 15. Lucas Wolfe. 16. Daryn Pittman. 17. Anthony Macri. 18. Brandon Rahmer. 19. Logan Schuchart. 20. Kraig Kinser. 21. Robbie Kendall. 22. Lance Dewease. 23. Kyle Moody. 24. Carson Macedo. 25. Kyle Larson.

DNQ: Robbie Price, Troy Wagaman Jr., Chase Dietz, Austin Bishop, Noah Gass, Jeff Halligan, Riley Emig, Troy Fraker, Matt Campbell.


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