Abreu began racing dirt bikes before taking up Outlaw karts after watching a race in Vallejo, California. He received his first Outlaw kart at age 15, and his father, David, built a one-eighth-mile asphalt oval in their backyard to support his training. Abreu made his Outlaw kart debut on January 24, 2009, at Lakeport Indoor Speedway, finishing fourth, before scoring his first Outlaw win at Cycleland Speedway.
Kyle Larson met Abreu at a charity karting event held at the backyard oval in 2011 and introduced him to sprint cars that same year. Abreu made his Chili Bowl Nationals debut in 2011 and ran his first World of Outlaws sprint car race, going on to win the 2011 360 Winged Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year Award.
In 2012, he entered the USAC National Midget Series and earned Rookie of the Year honors while qualifying for the A-main at the Chili Bowl. In 2013, he won the Belleville Midget Nationals, the Johnny Key Classic at Ocean Speedway, the 4 Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, and the USAC Gold Crown at Tri City Speedway. In 2014, Abreu took his first World of Outlaws victory at Thunderbowl Raceway and claimed the USAC Honda Midget Series national title.
On January 17, 2015, Abreu won the Chili Bowl, passing defending champion Bryan Clauson on lap 26 and holding off four-time Chili Bowl winner Kevin Swindell. The win was the first Chili Bowl victory for Toyota and the first for car owner Keith Kunz since 2002. The following year, Abreu won the Chili Bowl again, defeating Clauson and Zach Daum.
On January 20, 2015, Abreu was hired by HScott Motorsports to run full-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. His stock car debut came in the Pete Orr Memorial Super Late Model 100 at New Smyrna Speedway. On July 4, 2015, Abreu won his first K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus Motor Speedway after starting from pole, setting a new track record.
Abreu made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut during 2015 in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway, driving the No. 31 Chevrolet Silverado for NTS Motorsports.
In 2016 he signed a full-time deal with ThorSport Racing, replacing Johnny Sauter who had departed for GMS Racing. At Texas on June 10, 2016, Abreu was within a car length of race leader William Byron with two laps remaining but scraped the wall, cut a tire, and finished a career-best ninth place. On January 11, 2017, it was reported Abreu would not return to ThorSport Racing because of sponsorship issues; however, he did return to the team for a one-off start at Eldora.
Because of his achondroplasia, Abreu requires extensive modifications to his race cars. In sprint and midget cars, foot blocks allow him to reach the throttle; the pedals and steering column are lengthened; and the powertrain and A-frame are moved six inches (15 cm). In stock cars, the steering column, pedals, and switches are repositioned while the remainder of the cockpit remains standard.
Abreu was born to a Portuguese father and an Italian mother and currently lives in Rutherford, California. His father David works as a vineyard manager. Abreu has a brother and a sister. He lists fishing among his hobbies. In January 2023, Abreu announced his engagement to Meagan Droud after a ten-year relationship; the couple married in February 2024.
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