Quick on the heels of his victory in the A-Main of Saturday night’s Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Tuesday morning brought the very beginning of a new chapter in Rico Abreu‘s racing career. HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks announced that the 22-year old sprint car ace will drive one of the team’s five full-time cars in K&N Pro Series East this season. Abreu’s crew chief will be Marty Lindley, a former standout in late models in the Southeast, most notably in the now-defunct USAR Hooters Cup Series.
Abreu is very excited for the next step in his career, but is cognizant of the fact that it will be a big transition for him.
“Joining HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks is a great opportunity for me,” Abreu said in a press release. “As a full-time open-wheel driver on dirt, I’m aware that there will be a learning curve for me this season. Knowing that Harry (Scott) and Justin (Marks) have faith in me to be successful in stock cars is a great confidence boost. I’m up for the challenge and look forward to learning from my teammates and making the most out of this season.”
Team co-owner Justin Marks is also the co-owner (with Kyle Larson) of Larson Marks Racing, a sprint car team. As a result, Marks is very familiar with Abreu’s abilities.
“Rico is a driver that has already proven to himself on so many levels in his young career,” Marks said. “I can’t wait to see what Rico and his fellow teammates accomplish this year in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.”
In addition to driving in all 14 K&N Pro Series East races in the No. 98 Chevrolet, Abreu will continue to race sprint cars when his schedule allows. He will join William Byron, JJ Haley, Dalton Sargeant and sole returning driver Scott Heckert in the fold. No sponsorship was announced in the press release.
The 2015 K&N Pro Series East season is set to begin on Feb. 15 with a 150-lap race at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. The race will air on tape delay on NBC Sports Network. The date and time of the telecast has yet to be announced.
About the author
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.
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