Kentucky-based Team Planning to Cement Third in Championship
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - From the first laps turned by Abel Motorsports in their initial Road to Indy season, the team has been fast and strong. Now, with the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season concluding this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca alongside IndyCar’s return to the Monterey, California track, the two-car Abel team is planning to wrap up its first year in the Road to Indy with strong finishes and top-seven positions in the Championship.
“We have learned a lot in our first year with the Road to Indy”, said Team Principal Bill Abel. “We won our first two races in Indy Pro 2000 at St. Pete with Parker (Thompson), and probably got a little ahead of ourselves at times. This is a very tough, well-run series, and it takes a lot of effort and talent to win here.”
"The rest of the season has been more of a learning experience for us and our drivers. Now, we want to go to California and end this first year on a high note. Our goals are to win, lock up 3rd in the Championship with Parker, and help Jacob move up maybe to 7th in the Championship.”
Thompson, from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, has seen lots of growth and improvement in his Abel Motorsports team since the start of 2019. “I like our chances at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca,” commented Thompson. “It’s a new race for 2019, but we plan to unload and be competitive right away and build from there. Combine that with my past knowledge of the track from USF2000 in 2016 and I think it’ll make for a very successful weekend. Everyone at Abel Motorsports is aiming to finish the season how we started it… on top of the box.” Thompson has two victories on the year and is 3rd in the Championship.
18-year-old college freshman Jacob Abel has spent the year visiting new tracks for the first time and learning how competitive the Road to Indy really is. He’ll be facing similar circumstances at WRLS this weekend. “It’s a completely new track for me and I’m looking forward to it,” said Abel. “I’ve never been on track there but I have done a lot of sim work to get ready. It should be a good way to end the season. My confidence level is high, after scoring a pair of podiums last weekend in another series. I think we can be up front this weekend as well. It should be a lot of fun!”