Rico Abreu wins second consecutive Chili Bowl – Nascar

Rico Abreu went back-to-back in the Chili Bowl, winning one of the most prestigious Midget Car races in the country for the second consecutive year.

Abreu — who on Friday announced his full-time ride with ThorSport Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series — began his ascent into NASCAR with his 2015 win, and he repeated the feat this year in a championship race that started Saturday night and ended after midnight. It was the 30th annual running of the race.

Abreu took the lead with less than 10 laps remaining in the 55-lap event and powered to victory in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 Bryan Clauson finished second, followed by Zach Daum, Jerry Coons Jr. and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Larson.

The Chili Bowl is a week long event with five days of practice and qualifying events to set the 25-car field for the A-Main, which is the championship race.

Saturday started with two N-Feature races — the top four finishers from each advance to the M-Feature races. The format was used all the way up to the A-Main, making for a long (and exciting) day of racing.

Roush Fenway Racing driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won his B-Main Feature to transfer into the championship race. Larson also earned a spot in the main event with a top showing in his B-Feature race.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne qualified for the main event prior to Saturday, adding his name to the mix of NASCAR racers.

Christopher Bell, who has a full-time ride with Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2016, finished 12th. Kahne took 13th with Stenhouse finishing in 17th after a late wreck with Sammy Swindell sent him back in the pack.

Reaction to Abreu’s win was quick to pour in:

Such a neat guy. Way to go @Rico_Abreu!!!! 2X

— Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer) January 17, 2016

RICO!!!

— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) January 17, 2016

@@Rico_Abreu what an awesome drive tonight. Looking forward to having you as a teammate. #wheelman

— Matt Crafton (@Matt_Crafton) January 17, 2016

Nice work @Rico_Abreu! Awesome victory cyclone as well.

— Michael McDowell (@Mc_Driver) January 17, 2016

Rico! Chili bowl champ congrats @Rico_Abreu back to back!

— Brad Sweet (@BradSweet49) January 17, 2016