The wide boulevard of I-70 sprawls across the flat landscape of eastern Indiana, two wide and endless ribbons of concrete flanked by farmlands.
The wide boulevard of I-70 sprawls across the flat landscape of eastern Indiana, two lanes and endless ribbons of concrete flanked by farmlands recently awakened by spring.
Brad Sweet clicks off the miles as he rolls eastward into Ohio, relaxing and letting the trip take its own pace.
His destination? Pennsylvania‘s Lincoln Speedway, where a mid-week show for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series awaits.
Miles are nothing new to the 28-year-old native of Grass Valley, Calif. His life and career have spanned plenty thus far. His racing career has been redefined a couple of times already, and may yet take some interesting turns.
But through it all there is an ever-present smile on his face. Sweet is the stereotypical small-town boy, surrounded by an aura of sincerity and innocence. He is small in stature, with a noticeable spring in his step.
His features soften easily as he smiles, and he is easily engaged in conversation.
Sweet has emerged as one of the top performers in open wheel racing, currently riding sixth in WoO points. He is one of four drivers with three wins this season and is very much a contender for the series title.
Over the past few years he boasts a diverse resume that includes the Short Track Nationals with ASCS; the Belleville Midget Nationals and 4-Crown sprint and midget titles with USAC; the Knoxville Midget Nationals; and the 2013 Kings Royal with the World of Outlaws.
The route here was most definitely not a straight shot, nor an easy ride.
Sweet grew up around racing, as his father Don Sweet worked as a sprint car mechanic, helping Jim Richardson at various northern California venues. When Brad was eight years old his father purchased an outlaw kart and the family traveled to nearby Cycleland and Red Bluff speedways.
“He bought the kart for my brother Derek and I to race, but we could only afford one kart,” Brad recalls. “We had to rotate, but we had some success with that kart. I won some races and that got me fired up about the idea of racing.”
Karts were the family staple until Brad was 15, and he was ready to “graduate” to something bigger.
“We couldn‘t afford a sprint car, so I drove a mini-sprint for Harley VanDyke, a 1200 mini sprint. I ran that car all year until I was 16. Duane Scott let me drive his 360 sprint car at the end of the year, and I did pretty good.
“That next year we put together a sprint car ourselves and ran it on a limited budget. We raced maybe 25 times; it was hard to afford it. I finally got a ride with Dave Vertullo, a guy on the west coast who likes to give young guys a chance.
“We won some races and that‘s what got me hooked.”
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