“That’s a lot of what defines a racing career,” he said. “The cream rises to the top and the best drivers tend to win the biggest races. I look at each race as I’m racing for a living. This is a great money-making opportunity for my family. I always try to rise to the occasion. On the Outlaws tour you get four races that pay really, really good. You want to show up prepared and win those races.”
The defining characteristic in winning big races is similar to that of earning championships, Sweet noted.
“It’s down to the person, mental toughness,” he said. “I think if you look at a lot of the great athletes, there’s so much discipline and hard work in finding another level in yourself. I was always able to dig a little deeper, have that mental toughness and not let things bother me. When we needed to be clutch as a team, we were clutch. My crew chief was right there with me. My car chief, my tire guy. We had a lot of confidence, but we had a lot of mental toughness.
“We didn’t win the championships off our good nights. We won them off our recoveries, being relentless, our attention to detail. It’s a body of work over the course of 85 or 90 races.”
Sweet will not contend for the World of Outlaws championship in 2024. He will instead compete with High Limit Racing — a touring series he started with his brother-in-law, NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson.
“I think everybody looks at stats and thinks differently,” Sweet said. “I’m very satisfied in my accomplishments. I’ve never been a stats guy. I try to provide the best living for my family. That’s what motivated me day in and day out. Stats are great, but in racing time moves so fast. If you’re worried about what stats mean or so-called legacies, I learned real quick how this world works and how fast racing moves.
“I don’t feel I have anything left to prove. If that makes me less than any other racer, so be it. I’m real big about manifesting and looking into the future and trying to stay ahead of things. I have a vision of where I’d like the next chapter of my life to go; (to) use my knowledge and experience to drive sprint car racing to the next level.”
While Sweet is committed to a full-time schedule with High Limit Racing — as well as tackling the crown jewel events on the World of Outlaws schedule — next year, he is moving along with business plans that will eventually lead to his time behind the wheel dwindling.
“I don’t want to put an exact time frame,” he said. “I always said I wanted to race until I’m 40 and I’m about to turn 38. I’m no spring chicken. I’ve always been a bit of an entrepreneur, and had aspirations of doing things once I was done with my driving career. It’s probably a plan I’ve had for five years in my head, not necessarily creating another series, but thinking of the next chapter. I’ve watched so many racers where they’re stuck in a spot where they have to race to pay their bills, but they aren’t enjoying it or not spending time with their family or are burned out. I think that takes a lot of vision to where we get to decide if things are good on the business side when we are going to retire from driving the car.
“At this point nothing would surprise me,” Sweet added. “I could retire in one year, three years, five years. If I’m having fun and enjoying it and it’s best for the business and I’m at the top level, I’ll race as long as I can. I want to make that decision on my own terms and not be forced one way or another.”
This story appeared in the Dec 13, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
