Rico Abreu Wins High Limit Opener at Big Sky Speedway
NXTbets Pro | Published On: June 29, 2026
Abreu wins opener
Rico Abreu took the checkered flag in Friday night’s High Limit Racing feature at Big Sky Speedway in Billings, Montana, after a late pass on Ryan Timms turned the opener into a 30-lap statement. Abreu started fourth and climbed to the front, then held on through a green-white-checkered finish to secure the victory. Timms controlled much of the feature before the final laps swung the race away from him, and Abreu made the move that mattered most when the lead changed hands on Lap 25. From there, Abreu stayed in command and closed out the night with the win.
The triumph carried more weight than a single result. It was Abreu’s 29th career Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing victory, his fifth win of the 2026 season and his fourth trip to Whiskey Myers Victory Lane in 2026. Those numbers show how quickly he has piled up top-level wins this year and how often he has been in position to finish the job. The opener also gave Abreu and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing an early edge in the points chase, as they led Aaron Reutzel and Ridge & Sons Racing by 29 points after the event. That margin put the defending group in front right away and set the tone for the start of the stretch run around the series.
The race itself asked Abreu to do more than simply inherit the lead. He had to work forward from fourth, chase down a driver who had led much of the night and then survive the pressure of a restart to the finish. That combination, front-running speed and late-race composure, gave the result its shape. It also extended Abreu’s run of strong starts to the season and kept him firmly in the mix as the series opened at a track that had already seen Timms perform well the year before.
Timms leads early
Ryan Timms had the race in hand for much of the feature and nearly converted it into another Big Sky Speedway success before the final laps slipped away. He led early, settled into control and looked set to protect the top spot over the closing run. The turnaround came late, when the lead changed on Lap 25 and Timms was forced to settle for second. The finish left him just short after a night that began with the pace and track position needed to win.
Even with the loss, Timms stayed near the front of the result sheet in a strong night for the top cars. Giovanni Scelzi finished third, Brent Marks took fourth and Kerry Madsen rounded out the top five. That gave the feature a familiar look at the sharp end, with the established contenders filling the front half of the order after Abreu and Timms settled the battle for the lead. The finish also added a fresh chapter to Timms’ history at the Montana track. He had swept a pair of ASCS features there last summer, and Friday’s race showed he again had the speed to contend at Big Sky Speedway.
Abreu’s win closed the loop on a race that changed late but stayed tight from start to finish. Timms set the pace, Abreu tracked him down, and the final restart sealed the outcome. Scelzi, Marks and Madsen followed behind them, and the opener ended with Abreu on top of the board and Timms left to regroup after leading so much of the night.
