Brad Sweet, the co-owner of High Limit Racing, who finished second in the owner’s championship this year behind Rico Abreu, announced his retirement from full-time racing at the series’ awards banquet on Sunday.
In an emotional speech, Sweet said, “As many of you know-. This is going to be harder than I thought. As many of you in this room know this was my final full-time season. I’ll get it together. I got a speech. I’m going to get through it. … I don’t know why I’m so emotional but I want to say thank you to the fans. They’re the heartbeat of this sport. Every time I rolled into a track and you see the-.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get through the whole thing,” he continued. “But the fans, they remind us so much of why we do this. Fighting through the weather and everything. It reminds me every night at the end of the night, good, bad or ugly that the kids coming up, it’s just why we do it.”
“My wife, you’re my rock. You’ve seen the highs, the lows, the long nights, the heartbreak, the championships, the celebrations. You gave me balance. Couldn’t have accomplished this without you at all. Savvy (Sweet’s daughter), right there, so much perspective. She’s the best. She makes everything better. She gives me so much perspective in life. Really excited for the extra time I’ll get to spend with you.”
“Kasey [Kahne] took a chance on a kid that was unproven at the time and I just can’t thank him [enough] for believing in me and giving me the chance to drive for Kasey Kahne Racing, pushing me to be better, and being more than a car owner, being a true friend. You helped me chase my dreams that seemed too big at one time. I will cherish our accomplishments, the memories, and our friendship forever. It’s been a good ride.”
“My mom and dad, thank you for always supporting me, giving me the opportunities when I was younger to chase all of these crazy dreams. NAPA Auto Parts, Mike Curb, my team, my crew guys. Over the years Tate, Andrew, Jared, you all made me look better than I really am. Every late night in the shop, every sponsor commitment, every handshake, every autograph sessions, every win, every loss. You were right there making it possible through the good nights and the bad nights.”
“The High Limit staff, having an idea or a vision is one thing, but creating a team to make it a reality is another. I can’t thank each and every one of you for believing in this High Limit vision and coming together as a team to truly making a meaningful impact on this sport that we love so much. This is the best and most passionate team in the business hands down. And a special shoutout to Kendra for this awesome banquet. She’s put so much effort into it.”
After thanking a number of sponsors, Sweet added, “Racing has been my whole life, walking away from driving full-time is not easy. But I know this I gave it everything I had, every lap, every season, every championship. This isn’t goodbye to racing, it’s just the end of a chapter behind the wheel full time. I will still be around supporting this sport we all love and giving back as much as I possibly can to the next generation. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Sweet started racing at the age of eight in Northern California racing karts and eventually progressed to midget lites. By the time he was 13 he won the 2002 Mini Sprint Nationals. At 17 he began racing winged sprint cars and headed east to Indiana in 2005 to chase his dream of being a professional sprint car driver. He teamed up with Kasey Kahne Racing in 2008 winning the Knoxville Midget Nationals. In 2009 he won the 4-Crown Nationals Midget title.
He would make a brief stint in asphalt racing in the ARCA series in 2009 and a partial schedule in the NASCAR Truck Series between 2009 and 2011. He also competed in 36 races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series across 2010 and between 2012-2013.
In 2012, he returned to the World of Outlaws with Kasey Kahne Racing and won his first World of Outlaws race at Clay County Speedway and would also win the Kings Royal at Eldora in 2013. In 2018 he won the Knoxville Nationals. In 2019, he became the dominant driver in the sport notching 16 wins and won his first World of Outlaws championship over Donny Schatz. He would go on to win the World of Outlaws title 4 more times between 2020 and 2023. Amid that run he became the 11th most winningest driver in the series amassing 92 wins.
In 2023, Sweet founded High Limit Racing with his brother-in-law Kyle Larson. He would pilot the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 to the championship in 2024 after winning 10 races.
He also expanded his off-track duties. In 2021 he became the promoter of Silver Dollar Speedway and purchased the Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC) series earlier this year alongside Kevin Rudeen.
0 Comments