Sweet soars to victory in Belleville Midget Nationals finale
Team Mopar driver Brad Sweet was a man on a mission on Aug. 1-2, setting fast time and leading every lap of the 31st annual "Speedway Motors Belleville Midget Nationals." The Grass Valley, Calif., native gave Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR) its first-ever victory in the event held on the famed Belleville High Banks in north-central Kansas. The win also marked the third-straight year a Mopar-powered Midget car has claimed victory at Belleville.
Making the triumph even sweeter was the third-place run of Sweet's teammate, Brady Bacon, giving Mopar and KKR a tremendous podium presence in one of America's most prestigious short-track races. Sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC), the Nationals is one of the flagship events in the Mopar Midget National Championship.
Sweet started Saturday night's 40-lap feature from the third position, but vaulted past the front row on the opening lap and was never headed. Bacon mounted a race-long charge from his eighth-place start position, stealing the third spot by inches as the field streaked beneath the checkered flag. Two-time defending USAC Mopar Midget champion Jerry Coons Jr. nearly put a third Mopar in the top five, but ran into mechanical difficulties and was forced to the sidelines in the closing laps. Coons was classified 21st. Young Dakoda Armstrong, in his first Belleville appearance, finished a very credible 12th.
Sweet's triumphant weekend started on Friday night, when he set the weekend's best qualifying time, 17.571 seconds, around the intimidating half-mile. In Friday's feature, a 25-lapper, Sweet was the top Mopar man, finishing third. Coons and Bacon were eighth and ninth, respectively.
The teams and stars of the Mopar Midget National Championship won't have much time to regroup after their Belleville experiences. They next face the daunting "Indiana Midget Week," with events set for the Gas City I-69 Speedway (Aug. 6); Union County Speedway (Aug. 7); Bloomington Speedway (Aug. 8); Lawrenceburg Speedway (Aug. 9); and Kokomo Speedway (Aug. 10). Entering the five-night grind, Sweet sits third in the standings, with Bacon fifth and Coons 10th. For more info on the Mopar Midget National Championship, visit usacracing.com.