Rico Abreu, No. 98 Safelite/CURB Records Toyota Tundra
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Atlanta Motor Speedway – Great Clips 200
Race No. 2 of 23
Team Information:
Crew Chief: Doug George
Manufacturer: Toyota
Engine: Triad Racing Technologies
2016 driver point standings: 26th
2016 owner point standings: 29th
Sounding Off – Rico Abreu:
You’ve never raced at Atlanta, but have you studied the track at all?
“A little bit. Atlanta and Martinsville are two tracks I’m looking forward to. Atlanta because the tire wear is pretty big, especially in trucks. You’ll have to pace yourself, especially with this new 20-minute caution clock. I’m looking forward to it all, especially the mile-and-a-half stuff, just because that’s my style, and you can move around a lot.”
News & Notes:
- Chassis Chatter… The No. 98 ThorSport Racing team will utilize chassis No. 39 forSaturday’s Great Clips 200 at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway (AMS). This is the same chassis that Johnny Sauter piloted at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS (3rd), Charlotte (NC) Motor Speedway (15th), and Iowa Speedway in Newton (17th) in 2015.
- Atlanta Debut… Making only his fourth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) start, Rico Abreu will make his AMS debut in Saturday’s 130-lap event at the 1.54-mile track. However, Abreu’s series-best finish comes at a 1.5-mile track – Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway. The NASCAR Next alumni started 14th and finished 13th.
- Rookie Stripe… Abreu will compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2016. The Rutherford, California native was the sixth highest finishing contender following the NCWTS season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (DIS).
- Daytona Review… The ThorSport Racing driver started 16th, and finished 29th in his DIS debut. Abreu was collected in the lap 94 accident in Turn 3, and forced to retire his No. 98 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra early due to damage, completing 92 of the 100 scheduled laps.
- Safelite Repair, Safelite Replace… Safelite AutoGlass®, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, will be the primary sponsor of the No. 98 Toyota Tundra for all 23 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) events throughout Abreu’s rookie season in 2016. For more information on Safelite AutoGlass visitwww.Safelite.com
Abreu’s Career NCWTS Stats:
- Three starts since 2015
- Best start: 14th (Phoenix and Homestead, 2015)
- Best finish: 13th (Homestead, 2015)
|
Year
|
Track
|
Started
|
Finished
|
Laps
|
Status
|
Led
|
|
2015
|
Phoenix
|
14
|
28
|
44/150
|
Crash
|
0
|
|
2015
|
Homestead
|
14
|
13
|
134/134
|
Running
|
0
|
|
2016
|
Daytona
|
16
|
29
|
92/100
|
Crash
|
0
|
Abreu’s Career Stats:
- 2011 360 Winged Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year
- 2012 won the Trophy Cup at Thunderbowl Raceway
- 2012 USAC National Midget Series Rookie of the Year
- 2013 & 2014 Belleville Midget Nationals Winner
- 2013 4 Crown Nationals Winner at Eldora Speedway
- 2013 & 2014 Johnny Key Classic Winner – One of five drivers to win back-to-back titles
- 2013 USAC Gold Crown Midget Nationals
- 2014 USAC Midget National Champion
- 2015 Chili Bowl Nationals Winner
- 2015 Pepsi Nationals Winner
- 2015 NASCAR K&N Series Most Popular Driver
- 2016 Chili Bowl Nationals Winner
Race Information:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 27
Time: 4:30pm ET on FOX Sports 1
Track: 1.54-mile paved track
Distance: 130 laps/200.2 miles
About Safelite AutoGlass:
Safelite AutoGlass is the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services with more than 6,500 MobileGlassShops™ and company stores in all 50 states. Last year, 5.4 million customers chose Safelite for its 24/7 national contact centers, advanced online scheduling, superior repair and replacement systems, and the industry’s only nationwide lifetime guarantee. Founded in 1947, the Columbus, Ohio-based company employs approximately 12,000 people across the United States. For more information, visit Safelite.com, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About ThorSport Racing:
ThorSport Racing, based in a state-of-the-art 100,000-square-foot facility in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. ThorSport Racing, which has competed in the NCWTS since 1996, will run the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by two-time NCWTS drivers’ champion Matt Crafton, the No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Tundra driven by Cameron Hayley, the No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Toyota Tundra driven by Ben Rhodes, and the No. 98 Safelite/CURB Records Toyota Tundra driven by Rico Abreu in 2016. For more information visit www.ThorSport.com
ThorSport Racing Media Contact:
Jessica O’Brien
Phone: 803-240-5807
