In
only his seventh start, the 23-year-old from St. Helena, Calif., earned his
first NASCAR win Saturday night in the K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus (Ohio) Motor
Speedway. Abreu, who stands 4-foot-4, was born with achondroplasia, a genetic disorder that is a cause of dwarfism.
With
his victory in the NAPA 150, Abreu continues his breakout year that saw him with
the prestigious Chili Bowl Nationals sprint car event, make his first stock car
start in February, sign with HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks and win his
first Coors Light Pole Award in the previous K&N Pro Series East event at
Langley Speedway.
Abreu
captured his second Coors Light Pole Award in a row earlier in the evening at
Columbus, but it was the decisive pass for the lead that he made on Lap 115 that
ultimately delivered his first victory. Abreu
just beat Grant Quinlan to the finish line. In his K&N Pro Series East
debut, Quinlan battled for – and swapped – the lead eight times with Abreu
throughout the 150-lap event.
Abreu
is following the path that his friend and fellow Californian Kyle Larson – now a
full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor – took in transitioning from dirt
to asphalt. Larson’s first NASCAR victory came in his sixth career K&N Pro
Series East start in 2012 en route to the championship that
season.
William
Byron, who finished 14th Saturday, retained the championship lead by 20 points
over Hill with seven races complete.
The
NAPA 150 will be telecast on NBC Sports Network on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
ET.
