Team Information:
Crew Chief: Doug George
Manufacturer: Toyota
Engine: Triad Racing Technologies
2016 Driver Point Standings: 14th
2016 Owner Point Standings: 14th
Sounding Off – Rico Abreu:
How do you prepare for a track, like Kansas, that you’ve never been to?
“Obviously my teammates – Matt (Crafton) and Cameron (Hayley) have both raced there, so they have been helpful. I’ll also be able to get on the Toyota simulator, just one of their great resources. My crew chief, Doug George, and engineer will be there with me. The simulator is very detailed, and we will just work on little adjustments. If we can get it pretty good on the sim, that’s how we will roll off the truck for Kansas. Anyone that has been able to use the simulator has been able to get up to speed much faster when they get to the race track, and that resource, for me, is key for these tracks I’ve never raced at. It seems like it takes me until the second part of these races to really get going, so the sim really helps me be in position for the second half.”
News & Notes:
- Chassis Chatter… The No. 98 ThorSport Racing team will utilize chassis No. 45 for Friday night’s Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway. This is the same chassis Johnny Sauter piloted in 2015 to four top-10 finishes, including two fourth-place finishes at Texas (June), and Michigan.
- Kansas Debut… Making only his sixth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) start, Abreu will make his Kansas Speedway debut in Friday’s 167-lap event at the 1.5-mile track. In Abreu’s intermediate track debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season, the ThorSport Racing driver started 27th and finished 11th.
- Rookie Stripe… Abreu, who is competing for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2016, was the second-highest finishing rookie contender following the NCWTS event at Martinsville Speedway last month, and currently sits fifth in the standings following the third race of the season.
- Schooled – Safelite AutoGlass… Before making the trip West to Kansas Speedway, Rico will spend the day at the Safelite AutoGlass headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. The ThorSport Racing driver will see first-hand demonstrations from technicians, tour the facility, and meet with the more than 1600 employees.
- Down South… Abreu, a Rutherford, California native has relocated to Huntersville, NC for the summer
- Race Rewind – Martinsville… The ThorSport Racing driver started 20th in his track debut at Martinsville Speedway, and claimed his career first NCWTS top-10 finish, finishing 10th.
Abreu’s 2016 NCWTS Stats:
- Starts: 3
- Top-5 Finishes: 0
- Top-10 Finishes: 1
- Best Start: 16th (Daytona)
- Best Finish: 10th (Martinsville)
- Laps Completed: 477 of 485 (98.4%)
- Laps Led: 0
Abreu’s Career NCWTS Stats:
- Five starts since 2015
- Best start: 14th (Phoenix and Homestead, 2015)
- Best finish: 10th (Martinsville, 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 |
| 2016 | Martinsville | 20 | 10 | 255/255 | 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