CONCORD, N.C. — Katelyn Sweet led all but two laps of Thursday’s sixth annual MRO Better Half Dash presented by NatureMade at Charlotte Motor Speedway, picking up the victory in the special event for Bandolero cars and winning $10,000 for charity as a result.
“I parked it for BC (Bryan Clauson); I’m so excited to be able to say that,” said Sweet, the girlfriend of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Kyle Larson, in victory lane. “He was with us here last year, so to be able to win one for him is something that I’m really proud of.”
“I can’t say thank you enough to NatureMade for what they’ve done to help put this event on, and to have them on the car and take them to victory lane is really cool too. This was a really great day and we had a lot of fun.”
The $10,000 for Sweet’s win will be split among three causes, with $2,500 benefiting Motor Racing Outreach (MRO), $2,500 benefiting Speedway Children’s Charities and $5,000 benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation and The Autism Society.
Sweet led the field to green from the pole and dominated the first half of the event, holding the field at bay despite three yellows prior to the halfway point.
However, it was a caution with eight laps to go — for Wendy Venturini’s crash into the outside wall in turn two — that set up a restart in which Brad Keselowski’s girlfriend, Paige White, was able to pounce.
White worked around the inside of Sweet to take the lead on lap 18 just before another caution bunched the field back up, and Sweet took two laps after the ensuing restart before reclaiming the top spot for good.
“I think someone may have kicked up a little bit of grass and dirt on the bottom there that got Paige a little bit loose, but I was getting a bit squirrelly myself so it was just a battle to hang on. We managed to come out alright though!”
Though White had one final chance to pounce after Tati Papis (wife of Max Papis) stalled on the backstretch with three laps left, Sweet got away on the last restart and White was forced to settle for second.
“It was exciting to be able to have this opportunity, and I’m proud to be able to continue after my dad and have a good time doing this,” said White. “It was more slick out there than it was in practice on Monday, so it was hard to keep from spinning out in the corners. We’re happy to come home second.”
Dillon charged from the back twice after a pair of spins in the main event sent her to the tail of the field. She challenged for the win on the last restart before coming home third.
“It got a little hairy there for a second, and I thought I was going to end up in the wall with Paige there on the last lap,” Dillon admitted. “I was trying really hard to get to them. I think I passed the most cars of anyone, but I was just trying to salvage a good finish. Got worried about taking Paige out there on the last lap, but it worked out in the end.”
The event raised more than $70,000 in total for charity, as announced by MRO and Charlotte Motor Speedway officials after the checkered flag.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: editor@racechaseronline.com
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