After 66 races spanning across the United States for 10 months, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship comes down to three races.
As the series heads to the annual World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte to conclude the season this weekend, two drivers have a shot at championship glory.
Second-place runner David Gravel is chasing his first series title.
For current points leader Brad Sweet, a chance to win a fourth consecutive championship is on the line.
Since his victory at Sharon (Ohio) Speedway in late September, Sweet’s points gap has shrunk from 96 points to only 16 markers.
With the recent struggles of Sweet, Gravel has capitalized, notching seven top-five finishes in the last seven races, including a win at I-80 Speedway in Nebraska.
Sweet’s consistency over the entirety of the season has the driver of the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 remaining optimistic.
“It’s been kind of a tough year, but I think everybody’s probably struggled on points this year. I think we’ve just been a little more consistent,” Sweet said. “We’ve had our ups and downs this season, points have been tight. They’ve been opened up a little bit, and they’re tight again.
“Hopefully, we can just finish this thing out. It’s always a little stressful at the end of the season.”
It became even more stressful in the series’ last event, when Sweet failed to finish during the National Open at Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove Speedway.
Though for Sweet, his approach to The Dirt Track at Charlotte remains the same, with a championship mindset on getting the job done.
“You never really know. I’ve been there where I’ve been four points ahead going into the two nights, I’ve been where I’ve clinched it before we even got there,” Sweet said. “It’s just like any other year or any other race for us, you gotta go in and try and win the race, you gotta go in and try to do the best you possibly can each night. That’s kind of the World of Outlaws tour, just being consistent night in and night out.”
The last time a driver won four or more consecutive championships, came when Tony Stewart Racing’s Donny Schatz won five straight championships from 2014-’18.
Since then, the title has stayed with the No. 49 NAPA Auto Parts machine.
Sweet, who won his first title in 2019, would be the third (Schatz and Steve Kinser) driver to win four WoO titles in succession. Kinser holds the record with six straight titles earned from 1983-’88.
“I kind of imagined that Donny (Schatz) would be back with a vengeance the next year,” Sweet said. “COVID happened, he made some changes with his team. David’s (Gravel) been kind of the next closest guy, Carson’s (Macedo) close too. I think we’re all pretty even.
“There’s a lot of parity amongst the top four or five teams. I think my team’s just kind of been together the longest, and able to be a touch more consistent right now. But, I don’t think we’ve necessarily been the best car this year, just been the most consistent car.”
That consistency has brought Sweet and the No. 49 team on the doorstep of a fourth title, one that he’ll be looking to lock up this week.
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