FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Speedway, Ind. – Current USF2000 Pro Championship contender, Francesco Pizzi, has finalized a deal with Abel Motorsports to give the young Italian an opportunity to experience the next level of open-wheel racing in the INDY NXT by Firestone Championship as he looks to reach the pinnacle of North American open-wheel racing, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
Pizzi joins Abel Motorsports as an addition to his current driving responsibilities in the USF Pro 2000 championship where to date he has a best finish of 3rd at Sebring International Raceway, and a pole position on the Streets of St. Petersburg. 2023 has also proven to be a successful year for Pizzi in the prototype category, as he was able to score a class win in the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona in the LMP2 category.
The 18-year-old will be running a limited schedule with Abel Motorsports that includes the street-course at Nashville, the second round at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and finally the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
“Signing with Abel Motorsports is a great opportunity for myself to partner with a growing team, especially the last few events as a single car team, they have been able to show that they are able to contend with the big teams for podiums and race wins.
I think this will be great for me to be able to learn from the more experienced INDY NXT drivers, like Jacob (Abel) while I prepare for next year. These were the only tracks that I had not yet ticked off to learn (Nashville, Laguna Seca) and getting to learn the tracks and a bigger higher downforce car will just really help me in preparation for next season. I am really excited to get going, and can’t wait to see what we are capable of in Nashville,” said Francesco Pizzi.
Abel Motorsports and Francesco Pizzi will be doing an initial shakedown and acclimation test the week of the INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix at the Autobahn Country Club in Illinois.
The first opportunity for Francesco Pizzi will be on August 6th when the INDY NXT series rolls into Nashville Tennesse for the INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix. All practice and qualifying sessions are streamed live on INDYCAR LIVE and on INDYCAR Radio. The green flag drops on August 6th at 9:15am ET and will be streamed live flag to flag on the Peacock app.
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