Rico Abreu, No. 98 Safelite/CURB Records Toyota Tundra
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Martinsville Speedway – Alpha Energy Solutions 250
Race No. 3 of 23
Team Information:
Crew Chief: Doug George
Manufacturer: Toyota
Engine: Triad Racing Technologies
2016 Driver Point Standings: 20th
2016 Owner Point Standings: 21st
Sounding Off – Rico Abreu:
You will be making your series debut on a half-mile track at Martinsville Speedway this weekend, but you’ve done some short track racing on the K&N side. Is short track racing intense for a driver?
“Martinsville will be intense, and we’ll build up some frustration – just because you can’t seem to get away from guys, and at the same time, you can’t really seem to get to them at times. It’s tough to pass, and that’s when it comes down to restarts, and bumping guys to get them out of the way. My ThorSport Racing teammate, Matt Crafton has been solid there, he’s won a couple races at Martinsville, so I’ll be able to lean on him throughout the weekend. I think we’ll have a fast Safelite Toyota Tundra this weekend, and I’m looking forward to getting back in the truck after this long break.”
News & Notes:
- Chassis Chatter… The No. 98 ThorSport Racing team will utilize chassis No. 44 forSaturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
- Martinsville Debut… Making only his fifth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) start, Rico Abreu will make his Martinsville (Va.) Speedway debut in Saturday’s250-lap event at the .526-mile paperclip. In fact, this will be Abreu’s first career short track start in the NCWTS.
- Short-Track Success… Abreu made seven starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2015 at tracks a half-mile or less in length. Among those seven starts included two poles – Langley Speedway in Hampton, Ga., and Columbus Motor Speedway in Columbus, Ohio, one win, at Columbus Speedway, a second-place finish at Motordrome Speedway in Smithton, Pa., and six top-10 finishes.
- Testing, 1, 2, 3, Testing… During the NCWTS “Spring Break” Abreu and his ThorSport Racing team tested at Sandusky Speedway in Sandusky, Ohio in preparation for Saturday’sAlpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway.
- Rookie Stripe… Abreu, who is competing for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2016, was the third-highest finishing rookie contender following the NCWTS event at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway (AMS) last month, and currently sits fifth in the standings following the second race of the season.
- Atlanta Review… The ThorSport Racing driver started 27th, and finished a career best 11th in his AMS debut.
- 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:
- Four starts since 2015
- Best start: 14th (Phoenix and Homestead, 2015)
- Best finish: 11th (Atlanta, 2016)
|
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
|
|
2016
|
Atlanta
|
27
|
11
|
130/130
|
Running
|
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, April 2, 2016
Time: 2:30pm ET on FOX Sports 1
Track: .526-mile paperclip
Distance: 250 laps/131.5 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
