Little driver bringing big talent to NASCAR

January 20, 2015 Greg Engle Main Page, NASCAR News Top Story, Top Stories 0

Rico Abreu (Team photo)
Rico Abreu (Team photo)
Rico Abreu (Team photo)

It was a win heard round the motor racing world.  Last Saturday night a 22-year-old sprint car driver from California beat some of the best drivers America has to offer as he won arguably the most prestigious dirt race in the world the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa Oklahoma.  Tuesday he took the first steps into the world of NASCAR.

Rico Abreu began his racing career in 2009 competing in Outlaw Sprint Karts and first competed in the Chili Bowl in 2011. In 2012, he was the USAC National Midget Rookie of the year.  Last year he competed in 105 races racking up 53 top five and 71 top ten finishes and 25 wins and was USAC’s Nationals Midget Champion, all before his stunning victory last Saturday night.  There is little doubt Abreu has talent, and he will soon be displaying that talent on asphalt as he makes the leap to NASCAR. Tuesday HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks announced that Abreu, will join their NASCAR K&N Pro Series East team in 2015.

“It’s a little mind-blowing considering that I really just started racing big cars full time, what, three years ago?” Abreu told ESPN. “I’m excited. But this is a pretty big step.” MORE>>>

Greg Engle
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About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.