(photo courtesy Steve Lafond)
Salisbury, NC – Rico Abreu has a knack for winning big races. He’s shown that two years in a row by winning the prestigious Chili Bowl Nationals. But Abreu has never won a big Outlaw Kart race. That’s why he’s gunning for the $5,151 check at the QRC Speed51 Open at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina on May 24-25.
Abreu hasn’t fared all that well in the previous versions of Millbridge’s big May race, but this year he’ll be with a new team and expecting better results.
“To be honest I’ve been terrible the last two years I’ve gone,” said Abreu. “This year I’m racing for Jimmy Elledge and I think we’ll have a better chance of having some speed there.”
While Abreu’s May results at Millbridge haven’t been what he’s wanted, he has run well at the 1/5-mile oval in the past. He said he thinks that the better promotion from track owners Jeremy and Ashly Burnett has contributed to the increasing difficulty of winning at Millbridge.
“They’re just getting better and promoting great racing and having great events,” he said. “Some NASCAR drivers have gone out there and raced which has helped promote Millbridge racing too.”
Abreu, who is currently a rookie on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series circuit, said that the QRC Speed51 Open is one of the top races on his bucket list because he’s yet to win a big Outlaw Kart event.
But he added that if he’s not the man to beat on the final Wednesday in May, then it might be one of his better friends that will be standing between the two ferns in victory lane.
“I think a Tanner Thorson or Kyle Larson are going to be the guys to beat,” said Abreu. “Logan Seavey is pretty good there. There’s a few good karts that always tend to go good at Millbridge so we’ll just have to see what happens.”
Race fans can watch Rico Abreu go for his first win in the QC Race fans can watch Rico Abreu go for his first win in the QRC Speed51 Open by purchasing their Speed51 TV pay-per-view broadcast ticket on Speed51.com.
Racing kicks off at the Speed51 Open on Tuesday, May 24 with open practice and qualifying for the Open Division. Support classes including the Beginner Box Stocks, Box Stocks and Intermediate Class will run group qualifying and features only that night. Speed51.com will carry a live PPV video stream of these events.
Following the conclusion of the on-track action there will be an after-party featuring a live band.
Wednesday night’s schedule includes only the Open Division for the Outlaw Karts. Heat races are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be lined up based upon Tuesday night’s time trial results. The top-four finishers in each heat race will be inverted with the winner going to the dash, second going to the A-Main and third on back going to the B, C and D Mains.
The Dash will be eight laps and the drivers will line up based upon the “revenge draw,” which allows drivers to draw for starting position and then assign that positon to another driver.
Following the Dash, B-Main, C-Main and D-Main features, the field will be set and the Outlaw Kart racers will buckle in to battle for the $5,151 top prize.
If you would like to be part of one of the rising forms of racing in the US, contact QRC Factory Karts through its website at www.qrckarts.com. JGR MX has all the latest products and parts for the Motocross industry; visit their website at www.jgrmx.com.
For more information on Millbridge Speedway, visit www.millbridgespeedway.com.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
