Over the last few weeks, Brad Sweet and the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 team have been on a roll with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

The California native has added a couple of more wins to his season tally and is tied for the series lead in that category, but more importantly his consistency, which includes eight straight top-five finishes, has vaulted him into the series point leader over 10-time and defending series champion, Donny Schatz. This marks the furthest into a  season that Sweet has been the series points leader, as in 2016, he carried the lead into early June, as he chases his first title. Over 50 nights of racing still remain in the battle for the 2019 World of Outlaws title.

Winning in style

Not only did Brad Sweet pick up his third win of the season on June 8 at Granite City Speedway, but he also moved into the series point lead, thanks to a rare Donny Schatz DNF (Did Not Finish). The win continued a podium streak for Sweet, which sat at six races, beginning on Memorial Day evening at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Indiana. Sweet picked up win No. 4 on the season at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa on June 15, which coupled with a 15th-place run for Schatz, extended Sweet’s lead in the standings to 40 points.

Schuchart just keeps winning

With a victory in the opener of the Northern Tour at River Cities Speedway on June 7, Logan Schuchart became the winningest driver on the World of Outlaws circuit, with four triumphs. The young Pennsylvania native led all 40 laps from the drop of the green flag on a challenging track surface, which saw 90-plus degree temperatures all day and 30-plus mile per hour winds, even during the main event.

Home track win

While the Kansas City area is home for Brian Brown, he has long considered Knoxville Raceway to be his home track. The veteran driver had won nearly 50 races at the track in his career, but never one against the Outlaws. That changed on June 14, as he led all 25 laps to take the opener of the Brownell’s Big Guns Bash, which served as the only tune-up for the Outlaws at the famed half-mile, prior to the Knoxville Nationals in August. Brown was the only “Knoxville regular” among the top-10 that night, as the other nine spots were all claimed by Outlaws regulars. In the finale at Knoxville, Brown crossed the line seventh, which made him one of just two Knoxville weekly competitors among the top-10.

69k to Knoxville

After social media chatter reached a fever pitch the last couple of years, the No. 69K, owned by Don Kreitz Jr., driven by Lance Dewease and wrenched by Davey Brown, all three Hall of Famers, made the trek to Knoxville to get laps under their belt for the Knoxville Nationals in August. Dewease did not qualify for the feature on the first night and was sixth in the finale, after winning the dash and leading the first 13 laps of the main event. The team stated their goal was to get a feel for the track, learn and build a notebook for when they return in August for the biggest race of the season, which pays $150,000-to-win.

A big win

Shane Stewart was victorious in the finale of the Music City Nationals in Nashville on June 1. The win was big for a couple of reasons. First, it was Stewart’s first victory since joining the CJB Motorsports team in the off-season. Second, it paid a healthy $25,000 to the winner. Stewart had an entertaining battle with Brent Marks, which saw the duo trade the lead four times. The win also helped solidify Stewart in the sixth spot in the series standings.

Double Duty Donny

Donny Schatz did double duty at River Cities Speedway on June 7. Along with running his sprint car, he also climbed into the No. 15 late model to compete in the companion NLRA event. While, Schatz finished a quiet fourth in the World of Outlaws race in his home state, he was victorious in the late model.

Super sub

James McFadden continues to impress in his role as fill-in for the injured Kasey Kahne aboard the No.9 machine. The Australian led laps at Fairbury American Legion Speedway and then found himself again in contention at River Cities Speedway, where he finished second. That marked his second runner-up performance as he also crossed the line second at Charlotte and the end of May. McFadden has four top-10 finishes in his first nine starts aboard the No. 9, which two of those being top-fives.

A rare occurrence

Donny Schatz had a rare Did Not Finish (DNF) at Granite City Speedway on June 8, as something broke in the rear end of the No. 15, which handed the point lead over to Brad Sweet. In four starts at the three-eighths-mile in Minnesota, Schatz has a pair of wins and a pair of DNFs.

Plenty of cars

The inaugural Music City Outlaw Nationals drew a stout field of 40 cars on the opening night. Among the surprises was three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, who made his first Outlaws appearance in well over a year. The veteran driver finished a solid fourth in the finale. A trio of IRA drivers made the trip down from Wisconsin, led by Bill Balog, along with Scotty Thiel and Russel Borland. Balog won the dash in the opener and led several laps of the main event, en route to a third-place finish. Thiel raced his way into the dash and finished eighth, which marked his best-career Outlaws run. He also made the dash in the finale.

Blast from the past

Jeff Swindell had a strong showing in the finale of the Music City Outlaw Nationals. Racing in his home state of Tennessee. The veteran driver won the dash on the final night, which estimated was his first dash win in over 25 years. The younger of the Swindell brothers, ended up finishing eight in the feature on the final night.

Closing the gap

Brent Marks had his best weekend of the season at the Music City Outlaws, finishing fourth in the opener and second in the finale. Marks led 10 laps and was engaged in a thrilling battle with Shane Stewart for the win. After a slow start to the season, Marks sits 10th in points as he closes in on his first win of the year.

Moonlighting

Kyle Larson was victorious at Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Illinois on June 4 with the Outlaws. After winning on Memorial Day evening at Lawrenceburg Speedway, his previous

Outlaws race, it marked the first-time ever that Larson has won in two consecutive Outlaws races. At Fairbury, he won in a thrilling battle with his brother-in-law Brad Sweet and Australian James McFadden. The trio swapped the lead five times officially and a handful more unofficially, in what was deemed the “Race of the Year, so far,” by the Outlaws announcer Johnny Gibson.

Points update

Brad Sweet leads Donny Schatz by 40 points in the standings with 28 races in the books. Daryn Pittman is currently third, 134 markers out of the lead, with David Gravel in fourth, just four points behind him. Logan Schuchart rounds out the current top-five. Shane Stewart is sixth, followed by rookie Carson Macedo in seventh, Ian Madsen in eighth, Sheldon Haudenschild is up to ninth and Brent Marks is 10th.

Up next

A couple of high-dollar events dot the calendar for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series over the next two weekends. First, the 10th Annual Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial at Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin will pay $20,000 to win on Saturday, June 22. The series then heads to Dubuque Speedway in Iowa for an inaugural event on Sunday, June 23. The Outlaws then roll into the state-of-the-art Jackson Motorplex in Minnesota, June 27-29 for the 41st Annual AGCO Jackson Nationals, which will pay $41,000 to win on the final night.