LEBANON, Pa: Rico Abreu has spent the last 15 years carving out a career in Sprint Car racing. The goal was always to become one of the best and gain a foothold in the history books.
There have been some rocky points and disappointment … that’s the way it is in sports. Even the best experience setbacks, and yet, Abreu has managed to build a top-five team in Sprint Car racing.
But there is always a next move. You can’t just rest on your laurels and hope to maintain. Abreu is always moving forward, and he is following through on, arguably, the biggest decision of his career.
Abreu will shed the sole responsibility of running his operation by joining Tony Stewart Racing in 2026. The deal combines the resources of one of the most successful organizations in Sprint Car history with Abreu and his crew, including legendary crew chief Ricky Warner.
“So, Tony and I have always, over the years, had discussions about possibly doing something together, but the timing was never right,” Abreu said in a phone interview with SprintCarUnlimited.com. “Then with the direction I was going with my team and Ricky, Zack and Brady being full-time employees of mine, the timing was never there, but the discussions were candid every time Tony and I were around each other.
“Over the last 15 years, our friendship was always amazing. There has never been a run in between him and I or an uncomfortable moment and getting to race for Tony is a rare opportunity. Racing for myself and being supported by my family for over the last decade, it’s taught me independence. It’s taught me decision making at its highest level, and looking at this opportunity, it’s not just driving for a great race team, it’s one of the best teams in Sprint Car racing history.
“I just see this being really big for the sport of Sprint Car racing and for me, aligning myself with a championship-caliber team, especially in this growth period of the sport. This is the most vertical growth period that Sprint Car racing has ever seen in many, many years.”
This merger didn’t come about on a whim. It wasn’t as simple as getting on the phone, ironing out the details, and signing a piece of paper. There was some thought involved from both parties.
Abreu has been in a family-owned deal or one he operates for most of his career. The 33-year-old has been the main decision maker in calling the shots and building his brand in a way he feels is best.
That tends to change, even if it’s only a little bit, when you bring other people into the mix. It’s the nature of business, whether it’s racing or a corporation in the real world. So, this wasn’t a decision that came easy. There were multiple discussions between Abreu and Stewart to iron out critical details.
“I put a lot of thought into this,” said Abreu, who will run a No. 24 with TSR. “When Tony and I originally spoke, and then spoke again, I felt like I needed to have boundaries of the ability to have control like I do now as a team owner. Tony was very open and receptive to those conversations about my ability to continue to work through issues like purchasing parts, product partners, and other partners.
“So, it was very open discussions on kind of who’s in charge, and ultimately, it’s important that we keep Tony 100-percent involved with the day-to-day decisions, because he genuinely likes to know that information and what’s going on. As long as we continue to have those open conversations, it runs its course of how it operates day to day, right now, with both entities.”
Continued Abreu, “I feel the biggest difference is it’s difficult for Tony to be there for the day-to-day operations when this is my livelihood, and I’m in the thick of the day-to-day business decisions and team personalities. I feel that I have built this great bond and relationship with the team that I race with, right now, that I feel will continue to operate successfully at Tony Stewart Racing because of my dedication to the team.”
Tony Stewart Racing is going through a transition, of sorts. A couple of days after the Knoxville Nationals, the team shocked the Sprint Car world by releasing Donny Schatz after 18 years, 234 victories, and eight World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series titles. The last time the sport saw that kind of dominance was Steve and Karl Kinser.
But performance dipped over the last few years, and Stewart felt a change in direction needed to be made for both driver and team. Kerry Madsen took over behind the wheel to finish out 2025 season while TSR evaluated things behind the scenes.
Bringing Abreu and his team, which includes Ricky Warner, Zack Middlebrooks, and Brady Forbrook, into the fold makes sense for the organization. Current crew chief Todd Devnich will move over to shop foreman.
For Abreu, bringing his crew in was important. He has a working relationship with the group, including four years with Warner, five years with Middlebrooks, and three seasons with Forbrook. This chemistry will ease the transition and help the team retain the speed they’ve shown throughout this season.
“This is a big transition, and it makes sense for my team to come over to Tony Stewart Racing and work with me as a driver and for me to work with them as crew members,” Abreu said. “When you look at Ricky, Zack, and Brady, and their efforts and passion, it’s really what has made Rico Abreu Racing so successful over the last five years.
“This is my fifth season with Zack, fourth with Ricky, and those are long-term runs nowadays. You look at TSR, and they had 18 years with Donny, and I think Ricky was there for 15 years or so. Those are incredible runs that those teams went on, and I envision working through all of this and chasing championships over the next decade.
“I have been very committed to growing Sprint Car racing long term. I’ve become very inspired by what Sprint Car racing does for grassroots racing and the fans and their experience at the races. I think picking up shop and moving over to Tony Stewart Racing and operating under their umbrella, it just really fits the mold of my team.”
Tony Stewart Racing cracked the doors open in 2001 and captured the World of Outlaws title that same year with Danny Lasoski in the cockpit. Since then, the organization has racked up eight more titles with the series.
That commitment is going to shift in 2026. According to Abreu, he is leasing his High Limit Racing franchise to TSR and will compete for an ownership title with the national series next season.
“I’m very excited about just being part of the transition and getting access to Tony Stewart Racing … the resources they have that I’ve never been able to have access to, things like data and telemetry, testing, wind tunnel time and the things that can get a team up to speed quickly. Things that if you get off a little bit, you can get back on track quickly.
“I told Tony this when we left the meeting today … I’m not going to allow this to fail, because I believe in his vision. I’m so passionate about Sprint Car racing and what it’s doing for the world and the excitement around it, and I’m committed to growing it. I’m inspired by Tony’s vision for it all, what FloSports is doing for the sport with the financial injection … it’s uplifted the energy in our racing, and it’s fun to watch.”