The Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing championship is going down to the wire, and Rico Abreu suddenly has a lot less breathing room heading into this weekend’s season finale at Texas Motor Speedway.
After looking like the clear favorite to repeat as champion, Abreu now finds himself with Giovanni Scelzi closing in fast. Two nights of racing remain on the 2026 schedule, with the championship set to be decided Friday and Saturday, October 16-17, at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in Fort Worth.
Abreu enters the weekend with a 45-point lead over Scelzi, setting up a championship battle that looked much different just one week ago.
Lakeside Changed Everything
Coming into last weekend’s races at Lakeside Speedway, Abreu appeared to have the championship nearly wrapped up. Following his victory in the 4-Crown Nationals finale at Eldora Speedway in September, the defending champion had built a commanding 116-point advantage with four races remaining.
Scelzi refused to let the title slip away without a fight.
The Spire Motorsports driver finished third on Friday before delivering a victory in Saturday’s 30-lap feature, leading every lap and beating Daison Pursley to the checkered flag by just 0.189 seconds.
Meanwhile, Abreu finished 12th on Friday and was disqualified from Saturday’s event after his team refueled the No. 24 car in the work area during a red-flag period, violating series rules.
The contrasting results slashed Abreu’s championship lead from 116 points to just 45, giving Scelzi a legitimate shot at stealing the title in the final two races of the season.
Rico Abreu Has the Experience — and a Strong Texas Record
Abreu enters the finale looking to secure back-to-back High Limit Racing championships and add another major accomplishment to his sprint car career.
Driving for Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Abreu has been one of the series’ most consistent front-runners throughout the season. He has recorded eight feature victories, 26 top-five finishes and 41 top-10s in 52 High Limit starts.
His record at Texas Motor Speedway could also prove crucial. Abreu won three of the four High Limit races held at the track last season and finished second and sixth during the series’ earlier doubleheader there this year.
That history gives Abreu reason to feel confident heading into the final weekend. However, his recent results show that he cannot afford another costly night with Scelzi putting together some of his best performances of the season.
Giovanni Scelzi Is Making His Move
For Scelzi, this is an opportunity to turn a late-season charge into a championship.
The 24-year-old has steadily worked his way back into contention after falling well behind Abreu earlier in the season. His performance at Lakeside was the breakthrough he needed, combining a podium finish with a victory to put real pressure on the championship leader.
Scelzi has two wins, 23 top-five finishes and 42 top-10s through 52 High Limit starts this season. His recent form is particularly encouraging, with his last five finishes coming in at second, second, seventh, third and first.
He has also shown that he can get the job done at Texas. Scelzi finished third and fifth in his two appearances at the track last season before recording fourth- and ninth-place finishes during this year’s earlier doubleheader.
The numbers suggest Scelzi has the pace to challenge Abreu. The question is whether he can maintain that level over two races while making up enough ground to take the championship.
What Each Driver Needs to Win the Championship
With two races remaining, there are 154 points available across the weekend. Abreu’s 45-point advantage gives him control of the championship, but Scelzi still has a path to the title.
Rico Abreu: The defending champion needs to protect his lead and avoid another disastrous result. He can clinch the title Friday if he extends his advantage to at least 57 points, making it impossible for Scelzi to catch him in Saturday’s finale. Abreu also holds the advantage in feature wins, which serves as the first tiebreaker.
Giovanni Scelzi: The challenger needs to outscore Abreu by at least 46 points over the two races to win the championship outright. That means simply finishing near the front might not be enough. Scelzi needs strong results on both nights and may need Abreu to run into more trouble.
With Abreu’s Texas success and Scelzi’s recent momentum, the final weekend presents an intriguing contrast between a driver trying to close out a championship and one chasing a major comeback.
Two Nights to Decide It All
The High Limit Racing season comes to a close this Friday and Saturday at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. Friday’s broadcast begins at 7 p.m. ET, with racing scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. CT. Fans can watch the action on FloRacing, with Friday’s event also airing on Amazon Prime, Roku and Fubo.
Abreu has spent much of the season building a championship-worthy campaign, but one difficult weekend has given Scelzi a chance to change the story completely.
Now, the defending champion has two races to finish the job, while Scelzi heads to Texas knowing that the title is still within reach.