Rico Abreu prepares for Thursday’s practice session. [Joe Jennings Photo]
DAYTONA BRACH, Fla. – Rico Abreu is packaged small but his accomplishments are enormous in size. Winning two consecutive Chili Bowl races recently against the nation’s finest drivers propelled him to the front page of motorsports news, particularly after doing donuts to celebrate the win. He also captured the USAC National Midget Championship in 2014, plus he has been consistent winner in other midget and sprint-car races along with a victory in a K &N Pro Series East stock car in 2015.
And now Abreu is moving onto the national stage for the season opener of NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, driving a ThorSport Toyota Tundra with Mike Curb at the Daytona International Speedway. A full season of racing with the successful ThorSport team is to follow.
Afflicted with a genetic disorder called achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarf-ism, Abreu doesn’t let his size – 4’ 4” and 95 pounds — hold him down. “I am uniquely different and my whole goal is to be competitive. My parents always pushed me to do things, and I like to prove to people I can do it. I am a highly competitive person and growing up I played sports such as Little League and wrestling,” he said during Media Day at Daytona this week. For the TV interviews, he stood on a step-stool to accommodate the camera angles.
His race cars have to be adjusted to accommodate his stature and for his Toyota Tundra, the pedals are in a different position and the seat is moved closer as is the steering wheel. All adjustments have been approved by NASCAR. “It is all comfortable and safe, and I am excited to get going,” he said with enthusiasm.
Racing on dirt has been his thing until making his stock-car debut on pavement at nearby New Smyrna Speedway a year ago. Thereafter, he raced in the K&N Pro Series East, winning in his seventh race. However, he fully realizes that excelling in the NCWTS will be much more difficult, but he can’t wait for the fun to start. “I feel like I am in a dream but I wake up every day and pinch myself; it is not a dream. I am just very lucky to be in this position and very lucky to be surrounded by all these great people, which has gotten me to where I am.”
“I am looking forward to Friday night’s race and going to have fun with it. I am just here to race. That’s what I want to do is to win and show people I can win,” he commented. “I wouldn’t show up if I didn’t think I can win. Last year was my first time in a stock car, and it was a new experience. I have come a long way since then.”
He’s been educating himself in how to race a truck, gaining experience with two races at the end of the 2015 season. “They are so aero dependent in the long races and making sure to be position yourself to be there at the end.”
Fellow Californian Kyle Larson has been mentoring Abreu and often competing against him on dirt where the duo often runs 1-2. For the Truck race, Larson has provided guidance about Speedway racing, focusing on positioning and patience. “Kyle did tell me that Speedway racing is kind of easy in the Truck series, but you have to be there at end to understand what is going on,” Abreu noted.
Said Larson, “I think Rico can win a Truck race this year. I think at the 1.5-mile tracks he will do really well at because I think ThorSport’s 1.5-mile stuff is pretty good, and I think Rico will adapt well to that. It’s similar to winged sprint car racing because he already understands dirty air and stuff like that. It will be a little bit different with side force and things that he has not experienced yet.”
Regarding the Truck race at Daytona, mentor Larson added, “He texted me the other day and said he wanted to watch some video, and I told him I had never run a Truck race here but that I was sure it was the same as a Xfinity race, so I don’t know. Guess we will have to watch the race and see. It will be fun to see how he progresses throughout the year, but here in Daytona it will be different than anything he has done.”
Pit stops and long races are new to Abreu, who is accustomed to 30-lap, all-out races. ThorSport teammate Matt Crafton has also been educating Abreu on the nuances of Truck racing. “The biggest difference for me is making the transition from a 30-lap to a 160-lap or so Truck race,” he said. “Also, I’ve only made a few pit stops, so there’s going to be a lot going on, and that’s where you can make up (or lose) a lot of positions.” He believes the new yellow flag rules should play into his short-race mindset.
Once the NCWS season gets underway, Abreu plans on returning to the dirt-track wars and midget racing on pavement as time permits.
Abreu has huge ambitions. “I would like to do it all. Growing up I didn’t think any of this was possible,” he said. “I would like to run the Indy 500, the Daytona 500 and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.”
Brimming with confidence and skills to boot, Abreu may join the legion of successful drivers hailing from California, such as Parnelli Jones, Rick Mears, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Larson among others.