Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / RICO ABREU RACING – ST. HELENA, CA – It was a long weekend in the Keystone State for Rico Abreo and Rico Abreu/Curb Agajanian Racing.
However, the team ultimately prevailed, qualifying for all three weekend headliners including the $20,000-to-win Lincoln Speedway Dirt Classic VIII. Despite just missing the top-ten in two out of the three weekend events, Abreu kicked things off with a bang, capping BAPS Motor Speedway’s Greg Hodnett Foundation Race with a hard charge from 15th to finish fifth; Abreu’s 29th top-five, 48th top-ten, of the 2021 season.
In addition to his top-five in York Haven, Abreu, pilot of the Rowdy Energy, Curb Records, Lucas Oil Products, Stadelhofer Construction, Self Made Racing, Salty’s BBQ, No. 24 sprint car, finished 12th and 15th, respectively, the following evenings, first finishing 12th after starting 15th in Williams Grove Speedway’s $7,000-to-win Jack Gunn Memorial, then ending the weekend with a rally from 22nd to finish 15th in the aforementioned Dirt Classic VIII.
Forced to do things the hard way, Abreu had to battle his way through the Dirt Classic B-Main before making a start in the 40-lap finale. The St. Helena, California-native had to resort to the B-Main after missing the A-Main points cutoff. The program utilized a double heat race format with passing points assembling the feature lineup.
Adding to the talent pool, the Jack Gunn Memorial and Dirt Classic each featured the All Star Circuit of Champions.
“Considering the level of competition we were facing, it’s tough to be disappointed with our results, but I know our potential and we’re not going to be satisfied unless we win,” Abreu said, who owns one victory thus far in 2021. “It’s been a pretty wild season, to say the least. We’ve logged a lot of miles and it hasn’t been easy for the crew, but they’ve been hanging tough and I’m proud of them. We still have a lot of racing on our schedule, so we’ll do what we can to rack up a few more wins for this Rowdy Energy team.”
Rico Abreu and Rico Abreu/Curb Agajanian Racing will continue their 2021 campaign with a doubleheader at the World’s Greatest Dirt Track – Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The weekend agenda will begin with the BeFour the Crowns Showdown featuring the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on Friday, followed by the 4-Crown Nationals featuring the All Star Circuit of Champions on Saturday.