In what is the biggest silly season move of the decade, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) today announced that the team has leased Rico Abreu Racing’s Kubota High Limit Racing franchise for the 2026 season. Abreu and crew chief Ricky Warner will come on board and keep the #24 for the full 2026 Kubota High Limit schedule, as well as other high-profile 410 races such as the Kings Royal at Eldora and the Knoxville Nationals.
The deal is a big win for TSR. In Rico, they get a two-time Chili Bowl winner and 2014 USAC National Midget champion, as well as crew chief Ricky Warner, who is maybe the best in the business. For Rico, he brings his racing and business skills into an already established race team. I have no doubt that this pairing will be formidable right out of the gate. Tony Stewart said in the release, “Ricoh has proven to be a tremendous talent behind the wheel, but also a great ambassador for the sport,” and later added, “Rico is the complete package, and we’re genuinely excited to have him in our program.”.
Assuming TSR doesn’t have some other plan in the works for their legendary #15 entry, this will be the High Limit franchise system’s first big steal from the World of Outlaws. It will undoubtedly come as a great loss for a series already grappling to balance costs while increasing race purses to compete with High Limit. Abreu’s franchise was one of the first five given out to teams that ran full-time in 2024 and finished in the top five in the owner’s standings. Five more franchises will be awarded at the completion of 2025, and possibly five more could be handed out in 2028. 2026 will be the first season under the new franchise payout model.
It was expected that the High Limit franchise system would create some waves amongst 410 competitors, but this news came earlier than I would have expected. There is still plenty of silly season drama left with several big-name drivers and cars unannounced for 2026, and who knows how many of those may be related to High Limit franchises. It should be interesting to see how the 410 power struggle works out over the next few years.
Image via Rico Abreu FB Page