FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Speedway, Ind. – Round 2 of the 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone championship at the Barber Motorsports Park was a weekend of highs and lows for Abel Motorsports.
Coming into the race weekend sitting 3rd in points, Jacob Abel was riding a wave of momentum from his first INDY NXT podium on the Streets of St. Petersburg. Practice 1 & 2 was an opportunity for the No. 51 Abel Construction team to dial in their setup for qualifying and ultimately the race.
Qualifying for the Louisville KY. native did not go how Abel or the team had hoped. Running lap times comparable to the two previous practice sessions, Abel would ultimately end up qualifying 15th for the 35-lap race.
Unfortunately for Abel, the bad luck continued for him during the race. Starting 15th and getting to work passing cars right away, Abel managed to work his way to 11th place during the opening few laps of the event.
On lap 13, while battling for 10th, Abel made contact and was forced off the track resulting in both cars making contact and being sidelined for the remainder of the race. Jacob Abel would wind up being scored in 16th.
“It was a tough weekend for us at Barber starting with qualifying towards the back. We kept working on the setup and I really think we hit on something during the race, because we were very quick and able to pass cars from the start. Unfortunately, we had some contact with Matteo (Nannini) and it put us out of the race. Ultimately, we are still sitting 4th in points heading to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and I can’t wait to see what we can do there,” said Jacob Abel.
Back for his second event with Abel Motorsports and the INDY NXT series, Colin Kaminsky picked up right where he left off in St. Petersburg. Kaminsky was able to match his teammate Abel’s time during practice, and then from there was refining some things with the help of his engineer Doug Forker.
Qualifying for Kaminsky and the No. 57 Slick Locks Dallara, did not go how Kaminsky had planned either qualifying 14th on the outside of row 7, just a tenth slower than his fastest posted lap of the weekend.
The key to success for Kaminsky in the race was just staying clean. While the race was marred with incidents, including a red flag, Kaminsky kept his car clean and slowly started picking cars off one by one.
Kaminsky would finish the 35-lap race in 6th, scoring his first career top-ten in INDY NXT by Firestone competition.
“Overall, I’m happy with how Barber turned out. Scoring a 6th place finish is a nice haul of points, but there certainly was more on the table for myself and the team, and that’s the mindset we are taking into Indy. Getting the job done in qualifying is what we need to focus on to make sure we put ourselves in position for more good results,” said Colin Kaminsky.
Abel Motorsports leaves Barber Motorsports Park with Jacob Abel sitting 4th in the drivers’ championship and Colin Kaminsky in 8th. Next up for Abel Motorsports is the Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which includes round 3 of the 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone championship on May 13th. Keep up with all things Abel Motorsports by following the team on social media, @abelmotorsports.