Brad Sweet Holds off Donny Schatz to Score at Deer Creek Speedway
Claims his fourth World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory of the season
SPRING VALLEY, Minn. – Sept. 19, 2015 – A little good luck and a little skill helped Brad Sweet hold off Donny Schatz in Saturday night’s Meyerhofer Crane & Rigging Service Clash at the Creek at Deer Creek Speedway and propelled him to his fourth World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory of the season.

Sweet, who took the lead on lap two from his Kasey Kahne Racing with Mike Curb teammate Daryn Pittman, faced a critical moment late in the feature as Schatz tried to get around his No. 49 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet/Razorback Professional Tools car for the lead. As he ran the curb at the top of the track he got too high and hit the wall. Just as Schatz drove around him on the exit of turn two, the caution flew. Sweet held his position.

“It definitely helped me,” Sweet said of the caution. “I don’t know if I would have been able to get back by Donny. He makes it really hard. I messed up once and luckily I got a yellow.”

Schatz worked hard to get around Sweet in the closing laps of the feature following the caution, getting his nose in and throwing sliders but lapped traffic popped up and helped block the bottom to Sweet’s advantage.

“I tell you what,” Sweet said. “Donny always makes you work really hard for these wins. (Lee Stauffer) came on board and we’ve definitely made some strides and had some really strong runs. We probably should have won some races earlier but some bad luck came our way and it was just nice to get this Ollie’s Bargain Outlet car back in victory lane – it’s been a little while… Donny threw everything he had at us there at the end and luckily he showed me the rubber.”

As Pittman led the field to the green to start the night in his No. 9 Great Clips/Team ASE car, Schatz battled with Sweet back and forth for two laps for the second position. Through cautions and restarts early, Schatz faded back, at one point as far as seventh. Danny Lasoski, who has one Outlaws win on the season, battled through the middle portion of the feature for second but it was Schatz who came roaring back at midway.

After a restart with 14 to go, Schatz fought his way from seventh place to second in just four laps. As he ascended, so did Jacob Allen, who went from ninth to third in the same four lap space. He battled the No. 15 Bad Boy Buggies/Chevrolet Performance car for two laps, recording the second position on lap 27. Schatz got back around though as Pittman bear down on Allen for third. Allen went on to score a career-best sixth place World of Outlaws finish.

Pittman held on through the late going as Sweet crossed the finish line in first with Schatz in second.

“I don’t know that we got caught up in traffic there at the end,” Schatz said. “We found the race track there, it cleaned up right there at the top at the end and my car was pretty decent there… We probably went one lap too soon there but we’ll never know. Brad did a good job hanging on at the end. We did the best we could to get the win but it wasn’t good enough tonight.”

Pittman said he made a mistake on an early restart taking the outside as he was leading.

“I think I was fourth at the flagstand and it was nobody’s fault but my own,” Pittman said. “I won the Dash from the start on the outside and I thought the momentum would take off and I could pick the start and go first. Man, it was just a big mistake.”

He fell back again late but ended up climbing back on to the podium before the 35-lap feature let out.

“Just a good rebound. I’m happy that we got back to third. You hate giving up those spots then again you’re not going to win an outlaw race making mistakes and I just made too many.”

For Sweet, the win was a long time coming. It was his first trip to victory lane since he won at I-96 Speedway back on June 25.

“Everything finally went right there for us,” Sweet said. “You’ve got to drive a perfect drive to win these races so it was nice to do it tonight.”

As Schatz and Stewart hold firm in their championship points position, the battle for third heated up tonight following a DNF for Kerry Madsen. Joey Saldana is now just one point away from Madsen in the closing stretch of the season.