Rico Abreu, No. 98 Safelite/Curb Records Toyota Tundra
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Kentucky Speedway – Buckle Up In Your Truck 225
Race No. 10 of 23
Team Information:
Started: 21st
Finished: 15th
Laps: 150/150
Laps Led: 0
Status: Running
Driver Points: 14th
Owner Points: 16th
Rico Abreu Race Recap:
Rico Abreu, driver of the No. 98 Safelite Toyota Tundra, made his track debut at Kentucky Speedway in Thursday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Buckle Up In Your Truck 225. Starting 21st, the ThorSport Racing driver ran as high as 13th, but maintained a position inside the top-20 throughout the 150-lap event, and finished 15th, his sixth career top-15 result.
Starting from the 21st position, Abreu complained of “loosing rear grip in Turns 1 & 2” in the opening laps, but maintained track position through the first round of pit stops at lap 27. Crew chief Doug George brought the Safelite machine to pit road for two tires, and fuel, in an effort to gain track position, and Abreu was able to restart from the 13th position at lap 35. Just 12 laps later, the ThorSport Racing driver would get turned around in Turn 2, and make contact with another competitor. In an effort to repair the right-side quarter panel of his Toyota Tundra, George would bring the No. 98 machine to pit road three times, under the extended caution period, and the rookie driver would restart from the 24th position at lap 55.
Making his way through the 32-truck field, Abreu was scored 20th by lap 70, and 18th by lap 90. George would bring the ThorSport Racing driver to pit road at lap 58 for fuel only, and for the final stop of the night at lap 105, for four tires, and fuel, allowing the No. 98 machine to restart from the 14th position when the field when back to green at lap 108. In the ensuing 42 laps, Abreu would continue to fight a Toyota Tundra that wouldn’t turn, and settle for a 15th-place finish behind race winner, William Byron.
Quote:
“I just really fought a tight Safelite Toyota Tundra tonight. Once we got it free’d up we could run some good times, but we were just way too far back, and track position was key. We just need to put together some solid runs. Hopefully we can do that at Eldora next week.”
News & Notes:
- The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) had two practice sessions on Wednesday in preparation for Thursday night’s Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway. Abreu was 16th, and 23rd, respectively, in both sessions.
- Making his track debut at Kentucky Speedway in the NCWTS, Abreu started 21st, ran as high as 13th, and finished 15th.
- In 10 starts in 2016, Abreu has led one lap en route to two top-10 (Martinsville & Texas), and five top-15 finishes.
- In 12 career NCWTS starts Abreu has led one lap en route to two top-10, and six top-15 finishes.
- Abreu’s ThorSport Racing teammates finished sixth (Hayley), eighth (Crafton), and 13th (Rhodes).
- Up Next: The Aspen Dental 150 at Eldora Speedway on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
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 Curb Records:
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Curb Records is one of the world’s leading independent music companies. Owned and operated by Mike Curb since 1962, Curb Records has achieved 433 number one records, over 1,500 hundred Top Ten records and charted over 4,500 total records. Today’s roster includes some of the top names in Country, Christian and Pop/Rock music. Curb Records was honored as Billboard Magazine’s 2001 Country Music Label of the Year and Radio & Records Magazine’s 2005 Overall Gold Label of the Year. For more information visit: www.Curb.com
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
