Rico Abreu, racing out of St. Helena, California, secured a dramatic victory over NASCAR star Kyle Larson during the 35th Knoxville Nationals on Saturday night at Knoxville Raceway. The intense battle saw Abreu reclaim the lead in the final restart of the late stages to capture the prestigious Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals title.
Abreu’s triumph marks a major career milestone in his long pursuit of success at Knoxville Raceway, where he has competed since 2013, focusing on mastering the track’s challenging half-mile dirt oval. His win at the 2025 event demonstrates his growing prowess among the elite open-wheel dirt racers.
Abreu’s Season-Best Performance Culminates in Knoxville Victory
Having started the race from pole position, Abreu dominated the early portion by leading the first 22 laps virtually unchallenged. His performance was built on years of experience and gradual skill improvement on this historic venue, often hailed as the Sprint Car Capital of the World. Earlier on Friday night, Abreu also secured a preliminary Feature win, making his weekend success even more impressive.
In total for 2025, Abreu has taken victory in five main events at Knoxville, with this latest triumph adding to his legacy in the American Sprint Car Series. The prize money totaled $34,000, including $20,000 for winning and an additional $14,000 for leading 28 laps, confirming the high stakes and prestige of the event.
Key Moment: Final Restart Battle with Kyle Larson
The turning point of the race unfolded after a critical restart on Lap 23. Larson, starting the race in fourth, had steadily advanced to second place and aggressively pressured Abreu following the restart. Larson executed a strong outside line pass through Turns 3 and 4 to capture the lead momentarily.
Abreu reflected on his struggles at this stage:
“My car just kept getting a little bit tighter and tighter as we got those restarts. I knew that I wanted to cover the bottom lane just to block [Larson’s] run if he was taking off with me. I didn’t really know how he was taking off. I got tight that one corner and it allowed him to get wound-up and get ahead of me.”
—Rico Abreu, Driver
Larson described his move as strategic and timely:
“I was able to, honestly, just take off before he did on that one restart. I was to his outside, and [my engine] was stumbling, and [Abreu] took off. I was close enough to be able to be there when he missed the grip there a little bit in (Turn) 2 and then got outside of him and ran a decent 3 and 4.”
—Kyle Larson, Driver
Despite Larson’s advance, he expressed concern about maintaining track position under caution conditions:
“I was just hoping it would stay green from then on because I knew I’d be in trouble with a caution.”
—Kyle Larson, Driver
Abreu Regains Lead and Seals Victory with Bold Slidejob
When another caution brought the field back together, Abreu seized the opportunity to reclaim the lead. On the subsequent restart, he executed a precision slidejob maneuver in Turns 1 and 2, overtaking Larson and holding the position until the finish line.
Discussing the final restart, Abreu noted the difficulty of the track conditions and the tactical approach he took:
“I tried to just take off with him. The restart before that, I got super tight on the entry to (Turn) 1 and it allowed [Kyle] to get to my right-rear. I had to slow the pace down so much to not miss the grip with how fine the moisture was in 1 and 2. I just knew that it was so difficult to get it wound-up down there.”
—Rico Abreu, Driver
Teamwork and Experience Behind Abreu’s Breakthrough
Abreu credited his crew chief, Ricky Warner, a respected figure inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, for playing a crucial role in his recent success. Warner has a decorated history, including multiple 410 Knoxville Nationals titles with driver Donny Schatz, and now adds a 360 Nationals championship to his accolades.
“I told Ricky at the beginning of this year that I’d like to run this race. I know it’s an important one for him, and now one that he can knock off his list of accomplishments.”
—Rico Abreu, Driver
Kyle Larson and Other Contenders’ Performances
Kyle Larson finished second, marking his best career finish at the 360 Nationals and improving upon his previous best of third place from 2013. His performance reinforced his speed and competitiveness in Sprint Car racing outside his NASCAR commitments.
Indiana’s Parker Price-Miller secured third place for the second consecutive night, driving the No. 71P car sponsored by Indy Race Parts. Oklahoma native Ryan Timms followed closely behind in fourth, while Justin Peck rounded out the top five, piloting the Rudeen Racing No. 26.
Upcoming Events and Continuing Sprint Car Series Action
The American Sprint Car Series will resume competition on August 15-16 at WaKeeney Speedway and El Paso County Raceway. Fans attending the races can purchase tickets at the tracks, with live streaming of every lap available through DIRTVision for those unable to attend in person. Abreu’s victory at Knoxville adds momentum to the series as racers continue their battle across the dirt racing circuit.
Full Knoxville Nationals Feature Results
1. 24R-Rico Abreu [1]
2. 57-Kyle Larson [4]
3. 71P-Parker Price Miller [2]
4. 10-Ryan Timms [5]
5. 26-Justin Peck [6]
6. 27-Carson McCarl [3]
7. 88-Austin McCarl [11]
8. 7BC-Giovanni Scelzi [17]
9. 21T-James McFadden [9]
10. 21-Brian Brown [16]
11. 87-Justin Sanders [8]
12. 9R-Chase Randall [13]
13. 40G-Clint Garner [10]
14. 55-Kerry Madsen [22]
15. 24-Terry McCarl [15]
16. 4-Cameron Martin [12]
17. 13-Daison Pursley [21]
18. 63-JJ Hickle [14]
19. 6-Dustin Selvage [23]
20. 27B-Jake Bubak [24]
21. 40-Ryan Leavitt [19]
22. 44-Chris Martin [7]
23. 18T-Tanner Holmes [20]
24. 3P-Sawyer Phillips [18]
