Rico Abreu keeps KKM streak intact with preliminary win

 TULSA, OK -- Two-time Chili Bowl Nationals champion Rico Abreu already had the most popular merchandise item at the Tulsa Expo Center.

On Wednesday night, after following Keith Kunz Motorsports teammates Logan Seavey and Kyle Larson into Victory Lane, Abreu also had a trophy and a guaranteed spot in Saturday night’s A-Main.

 

Abreu surged past Cole Bodine into the lead on Lap 8 of the 25-lap event and held off charging David Gravel by 1.794 seconds to win the fourth preliminary A-feature of his career. Abreu is the sixth driver to win four or more preliminary night features.

 

KKM-prepared cars have now won six of the last seven preliminaries, dating to last year.

 

“I don’t’ get nervous anywhere I go to race 100 times a year in the country,” Abreu said. “But when I walk into this building, I get those butterfly feelings. That’s the energy this place creates. It’s a pretty special place to me. “I’ve got two Drillers, and I’m going to go for a few more.”

Abreu also is sporting a mullet hairstyle, which has inspired a very successful foray into his sales of mullet hats.

 

“I’ve been growing the mullet for about a year and a half,” Abreu said. “I had a friend give me the idea and kind of push forward with it. I didn’t know how it would do.”

 

When close friend Tony Stewart weighed in with promotional support on social media the sales took off. In the A-Feature, Abreu’s No. 97 KKM Toyota did the same thing, and last year’s Chili Bowl runner-up will race in the Saturday night A-Main for the seventh time in his career.

 

Gravel also earned a berth in Saturday’s A-Main, which will decide the 2019 champion of the premier event in midget racing. Bodine came home third, and Jake Swanson ran fourth after transferring from the Wednesday’s first B-Main.

 

“I’m excited that we’re locked into the show for Saturday,” said Gravel, who was driving the No. 76G Frank Manafort Racing midget. “I thought the track was good. The bottom was solid. The top was good. I would catch Rico a little bit on the bottom, and then he would kind of switch it up.

“That would stop my momentum, but I was happy with the race track and I’m excited for Saturday.”

 

Abreu won back-to-back Chili Bowl titles in 2015 and 2016 before KKM teammate Christopher Bell started his current streak of two straight.

“I had a great car,” Abreu said. “Keith and I just kind of worked on it all night. We were a little snug, but I knew as the track developed, it would come right to us. I hit three really good laps on the bottom, and it kind of shot me to the lead.

 

“Then I got up top and I could see David inching on the bottom down here and I just knew my entry speed into (Turn) 3 wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, so I just moved down, and my car just really hooked up off of (Turn) 4 on the bottom.” 

 

A wreck on Lap 4 eliminated Chris Windom, and a subsequent tangle dropped five-time Chili Bowl winner Sammy Swindell to 15^th at the finish.