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Driver, at 4 feet 4, overcomes stature to join NASCAR feeder series

 
Rico Abreu, middle, at 4 feet 4, celebrates his win Saturday at the Chili Bowl Nationals, a major sprint car event in Tulsa, Okla.
Rico Abreu, middle, at 4 feet 4, celebrates his win Saturday at the Chili Bowl Nationals, a major sprint car event in Tulsa, Okla.
Published Jan. 21, 2015

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Rico Abreu, coming off the biggest win of his career, will get a shot at driving a NASCAR stock car.

He's not likely to let his stature stop him now.

Abreu, 22, is a "little person" — 4 feet 4 and about 95 pounds. According to ESPN he was born with achondroplasia, a genetic disorder of bone growth and the most common cause of dwarfism. His car uses an extended steering column and he needs blocks under the pedals to reach them.

The reigning USAC midget series champion announced a deal Tuesday to race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with HScott Motorsports. Abreu, who won the prestigious Chili Bowl sprint car race Saturday in Tulsa, Okla., will run all 14 K&N events plus his usual open-wheel schedule of more than 100 races.

He received praise on Twitter from many NASCAR stars, and celebrated the win Monday night in Charlotte with good friends Kyle Larson and Kasey Kahne, who both have sprint car backgrounds.

"There are so many more NASCAR fans that don't follow dirt racing and don't know what I do, so I'm really looking forward to it," Abreu said. "I think the fans will react a lot differently than the average driver — average-looking driver — coming to NASCAR."

His first stock car and pavement race is Saturday at New Smyrna Speedway, about 12 miles south of Daytona International Speedway, and his first K&N event is Feb. 15 at the same track.