{"id":6968,"date":"2019-06-25T08:48:06","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T12:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=6968"},"modified":"2019-06-25T08:56:01","modified_gmt":"2019-06-25T12:56:01","slug":"brad-sweet-focused-on-winning-amidst-top-five-streak-points-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2019\/06\/25\/brad-sweet-focused-on-winning-amidst-top-five-streak-points-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Brad Sweet focused on Winning amidst top-five streak, points lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brad Sweet<\/strong>\u2019s name has been popping up a lot, recently. After all, that\u2019s bound to happen.<\/p>\n

When the No. 49 is in victory lane two races in a row and crosses the line in the top five for the ninth straight World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event, he\u2019s going to be a big talking point.<\/p>\n

The impressive stretch has given the team the tour\u2019s points lead as it heads into the final weekend of June, besting 10-time champion Donny Schatz <\/strong>and the Tony Stewart Racing No. 15 entry by 54 points.<\/p>\n

Brad Sweet focused on Winning amidst top-five streak, points lead<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sweet knows what it\u2019s like to hang with the best of the series week after week. He\u2019s finished second in the points standings in each of the past two seasons to Schatz.<\/p>\n

This season, though, especially in the past nine races, Sweet’s team has taken some big steps.<\/p>\n

The run started off at Lawrenceburg at the end of May.<\/p>\n

Sweet was coming off of an 18th<\/sup> place finish at Charlotte, his second in the then-current, four-race stretch.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when something clicked for the 49 team, and he used the stretch to come into Knoxville Raceway as both defending series champion and also the tour\u2019s points leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t change the way that we [race],\u201d Sweet said. \u201cI think we want to come here and contend for wins just like any other time.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just business as usual for Sweet & co.<\/a><\/p>\n

Since saying that, Sweet became the winningest driver in the series this season by earning two wins in the past three races.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s built his points lead up to 54 points.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe points are just a lot different on the [World of Outlaws] tour,\u201d Sweet said. \u201cIn 10 races, someone could shift 200 points, so it\u2019s something you don\u2019t really pay attention to until the summer months. Obviously, you want to be in contention, but you really just want to be focused on winning races and running up front each night. [After that] the points will take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of the way Sweet and his team approach it, he’s in a favorable spot to claim the points championship as we make the turn to the back half of the season.<\/p>\n

If the Grass Valley, CA native won the title, it would be the first time someone other than Schatz earned the accomplishment in five years.<\/p>\n

The last time someone knocked off Schatz? It was again a Kasey Kahne Racing entry, when\u00a0Daryn Pittman\u00a0<\/strong>did it in 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt only gets harder through the summer,” Sweet said. “There\u2019s a lot of money on the line this year. We just need to stay focused, do our jobs, focus on our race car, and hopefully we\u2019ll be good.”<\/p>\n

Those summer months that Sweet is referring to are right around the corner, too.<\/p>\n

Following this weekend\u2019s racing in Minnesota, the Outlaws will participate in a handful of one-off events. Then things heat up.<\/p>\n

The series heads further east to take part in a stretch with multiple events that pay over twice the regular $10,000 to win on finale night, including a five-night stretch in Ohio that ends with the Kings Royal.<\/p>\n

It all leads up to the $150,000-to-win Knoxville Nationals in August.<\/p>\n

No matter the event for Sweet, he’ll approach it the same way as he does every night on the tour, and we know he’s got what it takes to win the big ones.<\/p>\n

\n

Brad Sweet, y'all. #5HourNats<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4KRRkpVoUL<\/a><\/p>\n

— Connor Ferguson (@cfchangs9) August 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n