BARBERVILLE, Fla. — Feb. 7, 2019 — Kasey Kahne Racing’s Brad Sweet swept under Daryn Pittman midway through the 30-lap main event on Thursday night then pulled away to win the Ollie’s Bargain Outlets All Star Circuit of Champions feature at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Nationals.
Pittman powered his 900-horsepower winged sprint car out front early, but defending Knoxville Nationals champion Sweet was able to make the low groove work at the high-speed, half-mile dirt oval, slip past Pittman, then weave through lapped traffic to win. Logan Schuchart eventually ran down Pittman for second while NASCAR Xfinity star Christopher Bell was fourth and 2010 Knoxville Nationals champion Tim Shaffer was fifth.
“We work really hard to try to get it to drive good, and drive through lapped traffic,” said Sweet, last year’s runner-up in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship from Grass Valley, Calif. “I thought I did a pretty good job there. I got a little tight late and didn’t really know where to be on the race track. I felt like somebody was probably breathing down my throat, but you just never know. I just tried to drive as hard as I could the last few laps and I was happy to see the checkered.”
Tony Stewart raced to a seventh-place finish, Kyle Larson was scored 18th after spinning on the last lap, and Kasey Kahne was 21st. Ten-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz charged from 22nd to finish ninth.
DIRTcar UMP Modifieds: Three-time DIRTcar Nationals champion Nick Hoffman, of Mooresville, N.C., survived a wild 20-lap feature to pick up his first gator trophy of the 2019 event. Hoffman faded as far as fifth before charging back to second, sliding past leader David Stremme with three to go and holding off rivals Stremme and Kyle Strickler to win. Strickler was able to get by Stremme for second with one to go as Stremme settled for third.
For more on the DIRTcar Nationals, go to DIRTcarNationals.com.
DIRTcar Nationals Race Report; Volusia Speedway Park; Feb. 7, 2019
Ollie’s Bargain Outlets All Star Circuit of Champions (30 laps): 1. Brad Sweet ($5,000), 2. Logan Schuchart, 3. Daryn Pittman, 4. Christopher Bell, 5. Tim Shaffer, 6. David Gravel, 7. Tony Stewart, 8. Paul McMahan, 9. Donny Schatz, 10. Shane Stewart, 11. Parker Price-Miller, 12. Aaron Reutzel, 13. Kraig Kinser, 14. Brock Zearfoss, 15. Carson Macedo, 16. Sheldon Haudenschild, 17. Jacob Allen, 18. Kyle Larson, 19. Ian Madsen, 20. Lucas Wolfe, 21. Kasey Kahne, 22. Shane Golobic, 23. Tom Harris, 24. Brian Brown.
DIRTcar UMP Modifieds (20 laps): 1. Nick Hoffman ($1,000), 2. Kyle Strickler, 3. David Stremme, 4. David Reutimann, 5. Lucas Lee, 6. RC Whitwell, 7. Curt Spalding, 8. Brian Ruhlman, 9. Chase Collins, 10. Matt Crafton, 11. Ray Bollinger, 12. Tyler Evans, 13. Justin Allgaier, 14. Garrett Stewart, 15. Allen Weisser, 16. Shon Flanary, 17. Will Krup, 18. Tyler Nicely, 19. Michael Altobelli Jr., 20. Ryan Ayers, 21. David Wietholder, 22. Jason Beaulieu, 23. Todd Neiheiser, 24. Zeke McKenzie, 25. Will Long, 26. Brandon Green, 27. Dave Baldwin, 28. Ryan Thomas.