Kyle Larson & Rico Abreu Return to Their Roots for USAC Indiana Midget Week
Fan-favorites Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu will join the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports team for this year’s edition of USAC “Indiana Midget Week.”
Both drivers will be aboard the Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports-prepared machines for the six-race series that begins Tuesday night, June 6, at Montpelier Motor Speedway.
Larson of Elk Grove, California will compete in the first two IMW events at Montpelier and the following night, Wednesday, June 7, at Gas City I-69 Speedway. The NASCAR star, who currently stands second in Cup points, has won at both venues during his USAC National Midget racing career, including a Gas City triumph in 2013.
Just last year, Larson raced to victory in the series’ first appearance at Montpelier where he outdueled teammate Tanner Thorson in the final laps to score the win. The 24-year-old wheelman has collected 14 career USAC National Midget victories, including his most recent appearance at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway’s “Turkey Night Grand Prix” in November of 2016.
St. Helena, California’s Abreu is one of the most decorated and popular USAC Midget drivers of this era. Race fans will be able to witness him in action on all six nights of Indiana Midget Week. Abreu, the 2014 USAC National Midget champ, has won IMW events in each of the past three years.
Last June at Kokomo Speedway, the 25-year-old stormed to the front, passing Chad Boat with nine laps remaining to capture one of his 15 career USAC National Midget victories on his way to third in the final standings. Abreu was the Indiana Midget week champion in both 2014 and 2015. He has made a single USAC National Midget appearance in 2017 at April’s “Kokomo Grand Prix,” charging from 22nd to a 4th place feature finish after flipping on his qualifying run.
Larson and Abreu will join teammates Tanner Thorson (2016 USAC National Midget champion), Spencer Bayston, Holly Shelton, Ryan Robinson and Tanner Carrick on the seven-car Kunz/Curb-Agajanian stable for the opener at Montpelier. The team has yet to win in the series this season, but this is the same team that has won the past seven IMW races, including a five-race sweep in 2016 with five different drivers (Larson, Bayston, Thorson, Christopher Bell and Abreu).
Following Tuesday’s Montpelier round, Indiana Midget Week picks up Wednesday, June 7, at Gas City. Thursday, June 8, takes you to Putnamville’s Lincoln Park Speedway while Friday, June 9, brings the red clay of Bloomington Speedway. The penultimate round heads to the high banks of Lawrenceburg Speedway on Saturday night, June 10. The series’ finale hits one of USAC’s most regularly-visited tracks in Kokomo Speedway on Sunday night, June 11.
All six nights of Indiana Midget Week will feature sprint car racing as an addition to each night’s festivities.
Wednesday’s round at Gas City and Sunday’s event at Kokomo will be streamed LIVE on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/. You can catch flag-to-flag coverage of each and every Indiana Midget Week event, plus much, much more, a day following the event, on-demand at http://www.Loudpedal.TV/!
2017 INDIANA MIDGET WEEK SCHEDULE
Tue., June 6: Montpelier Motor Speedway – Montpelier, IN
Wed., June 7: Gas City I-69 Speedway – Gas City, IN (http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/)
Thu., June 8: Lincoln Park Speedway – Putnamville, IN
Fri., June 9: Bloomington Speedway – Bloomington, IN
Sat., June 10: Lawrenceburg Speedway – Lawrenceburg, IN
Sun., June 11: Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, IN (http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/)
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Sources: Richie Murray/United States Auto Club