Rico Abreu won in his first visit to 81 Speedway
Rico Abreu made the most of his first visit to 81 Speedway by leading all the way to earn the win in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series-sanctioned Jason Johnson Classic. Second finishing Carson Macedo was able to move to the top of the series standings at this early point of the season.
The Rico Abreu Racing driver from St. Helena, CA earned $20,000 for the win on the Park City KS track in a race shown live by DirtVision.com.
A total of 32 cars were signed in for competition
Qualifying Results: 1. David Gravel(13.234), 2. Carson Macedo, 3. Brock Zearfoss, 4. Rico Abreu, 5. James McFadden, 6. Giovanni Scelzi, 7. Sheldon Haudenschild, 8. Buddy Kofoid, 9. Logan Schuchart, 10. Jacob Allen
Heat 1 Results: 1. David Gravel, 2. James McFadden, 3. Logan Schuchart, 4. Brian Brown, 5. Donny Schatz
Heat 2 Results: 1. Carson Macedo, 2. Giovanni Scelzi, 3. Jacob Allen, 4. Justin Peck, 5. Jake Bubak
Heat 3 Results: 1. Sheldon Haudenschild, 2. Brock Zearfoss, 3. Brad Sweet, 4. Tyler Courtney, 5. Scott Bogucki
Heat 4 Results: 1. Rico Abreu, 2. Spencer Bayston, 3. Buddy Kofoid, 4. Robbie Price, 5. Aaron Reutzel
Last Chance Showdown Finish: 1. Ayrton Gennetten, 2. Sam Hafertepe Jr., 3. Blake Hahn, 4. Noah Gass
WoO Sprints Dash Finish: 1. Carson Macedo, 2. Rico Abreu, 3. David Gravel, 4. Spencer Bayston, 5. Giovanni Scelzi, 6. Sheldon Haudenschild, 7. James McFadden, 8. Brock Zearfoss
Feature Re-cap: The 30-lap feature began with Abreu taking the early lead over Macedo, Gravel, Bayston and Scelzi. A lap 4 caution for the spinning car of Peck briefly slowed the action. On the restart, Gravel moved ahead of Macedo to take second while McFadden jumped to fifth.
Another yellow flag waved one lap later for an incident involving points leader Sweet along with Peck and Gennetten. At that time, Abreu led Gravel, Macedo, Bayston and McFadden.
On the lap 5 restart, a red flag was immediately displayed as Peck and Reutzel each flipped. Both drivers were reported to be okay. At that point, series officials ordered that all restarts for the remainder of the event would be in single-file formation.
The second lap 5 restart Macedo was able to get by Gravel to regain second. Further back, Scelzi, Haudenschild, Allen and Schuchart engaged in a fierce battle for spots at the back of the top-10. Abreu briefly slipped away from the pack but Macedo closed in to challenge by the halfway point.
As slower traffic became a factor, the top-3 of Abreu, Macedo and Gravel ran in tight formation. Bayston also joined the fray as he closed in on Gravel. With 10 laps remaining, Gravel made an attempt to take second but Macedo held the position.
As the laps clicked toward the finish, Abreu and Macedo separated themselves from their pursuers. Ultimately, Abreu was able to fight off a late challenge as he sailed under the checkered flg to claim the victory.
Feature Results: 1. Rico Abreu, 2. Carson Macedo, 3. David Gravel, 4. Spencer Bayston, 5. James McFadden, 6. Giovanni Scelzi, 7. Sheldon Haudenschild, 8. Logan Schuchart, 9. Jacob Allen, 10. Tyler Courtney, 11. Buddy Kofoid, 12. Brock Zearfoss, 13. Donny Schatz, 14. Brad Sweet, 15. Robbie Price, 16. Scott Bogucki, 17. Jake Bubak, 18. Brian Brown, 19. Blake Hahn, 20. Noah Gass, 21. Sam Hafertepe Jr., 22. Justin Peck, 23. Aaron Reutzel, 24. Ayrton Gennetten
Please consider also reading:
Sheldon Haudenschild gifts father with WoO Sprints win at US 36
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