FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Speedway, Ind. – Abel Motorsports will be making their second trip to the Streets of Downtown Nashville for the INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix, this time however they will be bringing a trio or Dallara IL-15’s for Jacob Abel, Yuven Sundaramoorthy, and Francesco Pizzi.
Fresh off another series podium and first ever pole position, Jacob Abel is hungry to continue with the momentum he and the No. 51 Abel Construction team seemed to have found during the middle of the season. Abel knows that the added challenge this weekend will be the heat and humidity, as temperatures are predicted to be in the 90-degree range with the threat of rain prevalent on each day of track activity.
“I am really feeling strong coming out of Iowa. It was great to show that not only do we have the speed on road and street courses, but that we can also mix it up on ovals too. Street-course racing is one of my favorite disciplines, so I am pumped to head to Nashville this weekend and to see the crowd that comes out, last year had a massive crowd and it makes racing there that much more exciting. The weather this weekend is going to be the big challenge I think for everyone as we all know how and humid it gets in Nashville in August, but I think myself and Abel Motorsports are as prepared as ever for any type of situation,” said Jacob Abel.
Francesco Pizzi recently joined Abel Motorsports as he is making the step up from USF Pro 2000 into the INDY NXT series and will be making his debut this weekend at the Music City Grand Prix. Pizzi is coming off a great weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto which saw him score a pair of top-10 finishes. Pizzi will not be making the move alone, as he is bringing with him his engineer, Tim Neff, who will help guide the young rookie as he makes his first laps in the No. 55 machine.
“I am really excited to be heading to Nashville with Abel Motorsports this weekend to get my first shot at the INDY NXT series with Abel Motorsports. Getting the opportunity to be with the team in Iowa and see how they go about their race weekends will be a big help for me because I know a bit of what to expect and the flow of how the weekend goes. I also will have Tim Neff again as my engineer, which will really help me feel comfortable quicker because we already have that working relationship from USF Pro 2000, and Tim has an amazing record in this series. I can’t thank my partners, supporters, and Abel Motorsports enough for the opportunity, and I can’t wait to get this weekend underway,” said Francesco Pizzi.
Also making the step up from the junior categories, Yuven Sundaramoorthy, will be making his debut in the INDY NXT by Firestone series this weekend piloting the No.57 Abel Motorsports Dallara. Sundaramoorthy was able to complete a shakedown test earlier in the week alongside rookie teammate Pizzi, which he believes will provide the initial comfort he needs to get underway in Nashville.
“I have been thinking about my debut weekend in INDY NXT as long as I have been competing in open-wheel cars, so to finally be at that moment and only one step away from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is just something that is hard to believe. We were able to go and get a quick shakedown test in earlier in the week that let me learn the cockpit and all of the new things in this car that I am not used to in other formulas. I know that this weekend will be an uphill battle as Francesco and I are joining late in the season, but being able to lean on Jacob (Abel) and the rest of the Abel Motorsports team has me confident that we will be able to shorten the learning curve as quickly as we can. I have to thank my family, Pieter Rossi, and all of my supporters for making this a reality,” said Yuven Sundaramoorthy.
The Abel Motorsports trio will take to the track for the first time on Friday August 4th for practice 1, followed by practice 2 and qualifying on Saturday August 5th. All practice and qualifying sessions are broadcast live on INDYCAR Live. Race day on Sunday August 6th gets underway live on Peacock beginning at 9:10am CDT and will have flag-to-flag coverage of all 35-laps of racing action. You can keep up with everything Abel Motorsports by following the team on social media @abelmotorsports.
Abel Motorsports including team Principal, Bill Abel, has been competing since 1972. Abel Motorsports is now on to the third generation with Jacob Abel being the flagship driver for the team. The team was able to capture the inaugural F3 Americas Championship in 2018, and currently competes in the freshly rebranded INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. For more information visit the official team website at: www.abelmotorsports.com