He has won the Chilli Bowl and multiple races in the High Limit and World of Outlaws Sprint Racing Series. And no, we are not talking about 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, but his toughest sprint racing competition this season – Rico Abreu.

After winning the USAC National Midget Series in 2014, Abreu made an outstanding comeback to battle against Larson for the High Limit Sprint Racing championship. Although the title ultimately went to the Hendrick Motorsports #5 star, Abreu showed plenty of indication of outclassing him next year.

Kyle Larson faced tough competition from Rico Abreu for the High Limit Series Championship

It was Kyle Larson who first introduced Rico Abreu to the thrilling world of sprint racing. The duo became friends and Abreu followed in Larson’s footsteps to win the Chilli Bowl and transitioned to NASCAR’s Truck Series. After a brief stint with ThorSport Racing in which he secured two Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes in 2016, Abreu stepped away from stock car racing. He knew sprint racing was his calling, but Abreu also wanted to maintain his own calendar and chose to not associate with established teams since then.

By then Larson had already won his first Cup race in Michigan as the #42 driver for Chip Ganassi Racing. Larson was all too aware of Abreu’s boundless potential and had then felt certain he would be competing against him in the Cup Series. It took seven years, but Larson finally spent this season competing for the championship of the sprint series founded by him. With the year Abreu had, it was hardly surprising that he came extremely close to snatching that title away from Larson. 

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Abreu began 2023 by winning the season-opener WoO race at the Lincoln Speedway and followed that up with five more wins. But his thrilling finishes against Larson truly displayed his mettle. While the HMS driver dominated the first half of the High Limit Series, Abreu took over in the second half. After finishing as the runner-up in two back-to-races, he finally defeated the series owner at the Grandview Speedway. Abreu also won three of the last four races but eventually lost the title to Larson based on earlier points. With Kyle Larson planning an expansion to 50 races next year, will Rico Abreu finally begin his sprint racing reign?

High Limit Series’ ambitious 2024 plans could be key for Rico Abreu’s championship door

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Kyle Larson has been vocal about his dream of giving a larger, more lucrative platform to sprint racers. He intentionally scheduled the High Limit races in the middle of the week to avoid conflict with WoO and other weekend events that could prevent drivers from participating and winning a lump sum amount. From the $50,000 prize money allocated for the champion this year, it has been raised to $250,000. 

That alone would make Rico Abreu determined to win the title next year. Furthermore, with a grueling Cup schedule and preparations for acing the Double-Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600, the HMS driver might not be available for a 50-race series. That would open room for Abreu to truly leave his imprint on sprint racing to become the ace face in the series. 

Unfortunately, his aversion toward committing to an entire series and a full schedule might become the only hindrance in that path. While the skilled racer has yet to release his roadmap for 2024, it would be a missed opportunity for him to not capitalize on his current winning streak and finally win the sprint championship title he deserves.

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