Officially activating the 2020 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 season, Grass Valley, California’s Brad Sweet earned himself another Gator Trophy in the Sunshine State. This time climbing ahead two spots to clinch the DIRTcar Nationals sprint car opening night victory on Wednesday evening at Volusia Speedway Park. The win, the fifth of Sweet’s career during All Star Circuit of Champions competition, secured the defending World of Outlaws champion a $5,000 payday; his second All Star triumph in as many seasons at the 'World’s Fastest Half-Mile Dirt Track.’

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 Ian Madsen, a former World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year, chased Sweet to the final checkers, followed by Cory Eliason, a hard charging Kyle Larson from 14th, and James McFadden.

 “I can’t thank my team enough for their hard work this off season,” Brad Sweet said, driver of the NAPA Auto Parts, Kasey Kahne Racing with Mike Curb, Team ASE, Factory Kahne, No. 49 sprint car. “Anytime you can roll out of the box and win is pretty special. It’s extra special with my daughter and wife here. It’s pretty neat to begin the year like this.”

Hear from the top 3 finishers from night #1 at Volusia:

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Despite not taking command for the first time until lap 14, and dropping as far back as fifth after a restart due to caution on lap two, Sweet was a factor the entire 25-lap distance. Utilizing patience and finesse, the ‘Big Cat’ powered his way around Tim Shaffer to secure fourth on lap four, all before executing a perfect slider between turns three and four to regain third over James McFadden on lap six. Meanwhile, 2019 All Star Rookie of the Year Cory Eliason was at the front of the field, maintaining control while Ian Madsen kept a strong pace in the runner-up position. Madsen eventually moved by Eliason to take command on lap seven, using slower cars to help maneuver around the Rudeen Racing entry.

Also not deterred by slower cars, Sweet made his first bid for second on lap 12, relying on a familiar slider through turns three and four to hopefully secure his fate. Unfortunately, Sweet’s move was unsuccessful, ultimately forced to settle back into third. Two circuits later, Sweet was once again in a position to pounce, this time moving around Eliason before beating Madsen in a drag race back to the flagstand to officially lead lap 14. Sweet’s margin at the line was a mere-.023 seconds.

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From that point forward, it was all Sweet at the front of the field, keeping Ian Madsen and Cory Eliason at bay the final 11 circuits to win by .9 seconds.

“Anytime you win, it’s fun. It was a great race,” Brad Sweet continued. “I was really searching for a line in three and four. The grease would go away, then someone would come by and splash up some water. It really altered the complexity of the race. You really had to be mindful of which lines you were taking and what was happening with the race track. My car could run up top, but it was definitely better on the bottom.”

The All Star Circuit of Champions will continue their 2020 campaign with a second consecutive DIRTcar Nationals start on Thursday evening, February 6. Although sprint car competition will continue at the DIRTcar Nationals through Sunday, February 9, the All Stars will end their visit on Thursday, once again battling for a $5,000 top prize.

Watch the full night #1 feature:

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