KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Rico Abreu refuses to let Tuesday’s sour result at Lakeside Speedway stymie the momentum behind his promising start to the new year.

The St. Helena, Calif., fan favorite was well on his way to not only a cool $50,000 payday in the High Limit Racing Series season opener, but a third touring win in the early months of 2023, before a flat right-rear knocked him out of the lead with five laps left. It didn’t take too much settling down for Abreu to explain the silver lining in spite of leading a race-high 16 laps.

“You have to think about the plusses of the night, not the negatives,” said Abreu, who finished 22nd. “The plusses were we time-trialed good. We went out late and put a good lap down. We got ourselves to a good starting position in the feature. We made huge (setup) swings to the dash, to the feature. It showed right there. My car was really, really nice. Probably one of the top-five race cars I’ve had in my career I’ve ever driven off comparability-wise.”

Abreu’s been in position to win quite a bit lately. He won the first night out in a Sprint Car this year on March 18 at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa., with the World of Outlaws and on Saturday added his second World of Outlaws victory at 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kan.

A third win to begin the 2023 season would have matched World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series drivers Brad Sweet and David Gravel in nearly half the races. Abreu logged his eighth race of the season Tuesday, while Gravel and Sweet both participated in their 15th event.

“It’s really fitting and working right now,” Abreu said. “These guys are making good decisions as mechanics. They’re critical-thinking and turning data into information, and they’re processing things. That’s what it takes to win these races.”

Last year, Abreu’s first win didn’t come until June 28 at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville,, Pa., as part of Pennsylvania Speedwell. He had to wait even longer for the first victory of his two-win 2021: Aug. 13 on Hard Knox Night of the Knoxville Nationals. And, really, since 2017 he had yet to win his first Sprint Car race prior to the month of June — before this season, of course.

“It just took us a year and now he’s understanding and adapting to my ability of driving,” Abreu said. “At the end of the day, these guys just believe in me, and I believe in them. That’s what it comes down to. “

Abreu claims he’s back to the familiar form of his 2015 and ’16 seasons, where in a Sprint Car he tallied 17 feature wins over that span. The upswing begins with crew chief Ricky Warner, whose wealth of knowledge is starting to pay dividends in his second season with Abreu. 

“Ricky’s an unbelievable person to be able to race with,” Abreu said.

“These are the teams you put together to go win the Kings Royal, the Million, the Knoxville Nationals,” he added.

Before his flat tire, Abreu held a two-second lead over eventual winner Gio Scelzi. He added there had been no warning sign of his tire going flat, gathering that it “probably went instantly flat.”

“Something went through the outsert side of the block and then out the sidewall of the tire. It was a puncture, obviously,” Abreu said. “So, oh well. Just happy for my guys. Obviously not for the result, but the overall night. The process of the night. The data these guys collect throughout the night. They do an unbelievable job. They have unbelievable race cars right now. I’m just really, really lucky to be able to drive fast race cars. We’re becoming really consistent. We have momentum. We’re just kind of riding the wave. And having fast race cars is a huge enjoyment with this race team.”

Chasing the High Limit Series title, Abreu’s focus now turns to the tour’s April 25 date at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. Abreu’s career-best finish at the 3/8-mile oval is a runner-up to Tony Stewart in 2019 with the All Star Circuit of Champions.

“Bring them all on. We have speed right now,” Abreu said. “We’ll start clicking away and getting up front. You just have to race smart. That’s what it takes to win these races.”