Sophomore seasons can be a struggle in racing. Solid rookie years bring lots of second-year promise that sometimes goes unfulfilled. But in the case of Abel Motorsports of Louisville, a strong Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires debut season in 2019 has produced more good results in 2020.
The team’s young driver, 19-year-old Jacob Abel, scored his first career Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires podium a few weeks ago at Mid Ohio. Now, Abel and his team head back to New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, seeking added success.
Young Abel, a college sophomore at Butler University in Indianapolis, has split his seat time between a couple of racing disciplines in 2020. He’s only been able to make occasional forays into Indy Pro 2000 competition, what with the COVID 19-related schedule challenges the sport has faced. But a late decision to enter the Mid Ohio weekend in September paid off with finishes of seventh in Race 1 and a terrific third in Race 2. And now, with momentum building, the Abel squad will contest the NJMP tripleheader weekend from a position of strength.
“I’ve raced at New Jersey before, a few years ago in another series,” noted Jacob. “I’m really looking forward to being back in the car. More seat time is great, and we will have a test day there Friday to get back in the rhythm of the track. It’s 2.25 miles, 12 turns, and really abrasive, like Homestead, so I expect lots of tire wear. I’ll be working to manage our tires and use my experience to run up front again this week. We have a lot of momentum after Mid Ohio and I can’t wait to get back to Road to Indy action.”
Team Principal Bill Abel expects a strong showing as well, and says his team is primed to succeed. “We’re coming off a hard fight at Homestead in another series this past weekend. Our guys are working smart and hard: they unloaded and turned around our transporter in a couple of hours’ time Tuesday to head right back out for New Jersey. We were able to pick up two wins and three more podiums with Jacob there two years ago in another series, so we know what it takes to succeed at that track. We’re planning to build on our success at Mid Ohio and have a strong weekend.”