Catchfence

No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet Impala (Credit: Getty Images For NASCAR)

Second start of the season for Sweet at Talladega… Grass Valley, Calif.-native, Brad Sweet, will make his second start of the season in the No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet this weekend at the famed Talladega Superspeedway. His first start of 2012 came at Auto Club Speedway where he proved impressive by bringing home a sixth-place finish. Sweet shares driving duties of the No. 38 with Kasey Kahne this season with Kahne scheduled to compete in 15 races and Sweet competing in the balance of the 33-race schedule.

Drafting Experience… Sweet experienced the complexities of restrictor-plate racing and drafting in the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. In that event, Sweet started tenth and ran solidly inside the top-10 for most of the event before being collected in a late-race crash and finishing 21st.

Sweet no stranger to the Great Clips Racing family…. Though he is making his debut this season in the No. 38 Great Clips Chevy, Sweet is certainly no stranger to the Great Clips family as he has competed in the NCWTS on a limited basis for the last two seasons under the Great Clips Racing banner.

A little about Sweet… Sweet made a name for himself in the national open-wheel racing circuits. After being tapped to drive for Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR) in 2008 by Kahne himself, Sweet became a superstar in his own right in the USAC racing world with victories in some of the biggest events including the Belleville Midget Nationals, the Knoxville Midget Nationals and both the Sprint Car and Midget “Four Crown Nationals” at Eldora Speedway.

This Week’s Impala… The No. 38 team will unload chassis TMS-319 this weekend at Talladega. This is the same chassis Kahne drove to a ninth-place finish in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Come See Me… Sweet will be making two public appearances this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. On Friday, he will take part in the NNS autograph session from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. and on Saturday, he will join Turner Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier at the Chevy Display for a Q&A session at 11:30 a.m.

No vacation for Sweet … Don’t think that just because Sweet hasn’t been behind the wheel in the first few races of the season that he hasn’t been hard at work himself on the weekends. The rookie has been traveling to the track with the No. 38 team to watch practice, study what his mentor (Kahne) does on the track and watch the race from the spotter’s stand. For the last two weeks, he has traveled the Midwest with his KKR crew and competed in select sprint car races.

Sweet and Kahne: a unique combination… Not only are Kahne and Sweet good friends off the track, but the veteran is a big help to Sweet as he makes the transition from open-wheel competition to stock cars. Sweet was handpicked by Kahne in 2008 to drive for KKR where he has since experienced tremendous success in the World of Outlaws Series. Sweet will continue to compete on a limited basis for KKR when he is not behind the wheel of the No. 38 Great Clips machine in the NNS.

12 Years and Counting… Great Clips, Inc. is currently the longest-running sponsor in the NNS and has used the Nationwide Series as their primary marketing platform for the last 11 years. Their sponsorship began in 2000 with Akins Motorsports as they climbed on board to sponsor the team’s No. 38 entry with driver, Christian Elder. Mark Green piloted the No. 38 for one season before general manager, Doug Stringer, hired up-and-coming talent, Kasey Kahne, thereby solidifying Great Clips’ commitment to their NASCAR sponsorship.

Brad Sweet - Getty Images

“We had an awesome run in our first race of the season (finished sixth at Auto Club Speedway) so I’m looking forward to building upon that momentum. This Great Clips team is having a great season so far. This is one of the hardest-working group of guys in the garage area and it shows on the track week in and week out. I can’t wait to get out on the track at Talladega. I know that restrictor plate racing is its own beast but I’m ready to take it on.”

Sweet on his 2012 expectations

“My goals for this season are pretty simple. I want to consistently bring home top-10 finishes and, as I get more races under my belt, I’ll be focused on top-fives. Finishing sixth in that first race set the tone right from the start and is right on track with that goal.”

Follow the No. 38 team on Twitter! Twitter.com/No38TurnerNNS

Follow Kasey Kahne on Twitter! Twitter.com/KaseyKahne

Follow Brad Sweet on Twitter! Twitter.com/KBradSweet49

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

About Great Clips:

Great Clips, Inc. was established in 1982 in Minneapolis. Today, Great Clips has more than 3,000 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the world’s largest salon brand. Great Clips salons employ nearly 30,000 stylists who receive ongoing training to learn advanced skills and the latest trends. Make Great Clips your choice for value-priced, high-quality haircare for men, women and children. No appointments needed, and salons are open nights and weekends. And, it’s more convenient than ever with Great Clips’ Online Check-In. To check-in online, visit www.greatclips.com or download the app for Android and iPhone. For more information about Great Clips, Inc. or to find a location near you, visit www.greatclips.com.

- Turner Motorsports Press Release