– Jack William Miller drove from 20th on the starting grid to eighth place earning the Jostens Hard Charger award
– Myles Rowe continues string of fourth place finishes, moving up to third in the championship
Speedway, Ind. (May 8, 2025) – Round two of the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone season at the Barber Motorsports Park, was one that gave the full gamut of weather throughout the weekend with rain and heavy wind on Friday and Saturday and bright sunshine on race day making car setups a challenge.
Myles Rowe came into round two, fourth in the championship standings just a few points out of third with his sights set on moving up in the championship order.
“I’m happy with another top five finish after a slow start to the weekend, but these consistent weekends and getting as many points as possible are what builds championships,” said Rowe.
With the weather throwing an additional variable into the weekend, Rowe was pleased with what they were able to accomplish and find with the changing weather conditions.
“I really had fun all weekend with the dynamic weather, it definitely through us some curveballs but I think we learned a good bit about our wet weather setup which is something we can take with us all season,” exclaimed Rowe.
After a penalty stemming from the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Jack William Miller had his work cut out for him on race day starting from 20th on the grid.
“The penalty put us behind the eight ball for qualifying, so we knew we had our work cut out for us during the race” said Indianapolis native Jack William Miller.
With his eyes focused on working through what is a traditionally tough track to pass at, Miller knew that he had to time everything just right to carve his way to the front.
“The Patterson Dental / HomeLink car was stout throughout the race. I could hang with pretty much anyone and was able to manage my push-to-pass well which just let us slowly march towards the front. I really have to thank the ABEL Motorsports crew for working so hard and giving me a car that I could go out and make things happen with,” exclaimed Miller.
The mixed conditions during qualifying made it a difficult decision to decide to either go with a mix of wet and dry setup or risk it and go with a full dry setup.
“Barber was a very tough weekend for us filled with mixed conditions and unfortunately, it just kind of caught us out. We weren’t able to execute on the rain tires during qualifying which lead to not an ideal starting spot for the race,” said Illinois native Jordan Missig.
Much like Jack William Miller, the goal for Missig was to manage his push-to-pass and slowly work his way forward.
“I tried my best to pick my way through all the carnage and make moves up to the field when the opportunities presented themselves. The ABEL Motorsports crew gave me an awesome car, it just didn’t quite work as well as we had hoped in the race, but we did our best and came away with 12th and that’s all we could ask for,” said Jordan Missig.
Callum Hedge found himself in the same situation as Missig with a partially wet track causing difficulty with car setup.
“Qualifying was tough for us, but we took our best shot at a setup based on what we thought the weather was going to do, but the track dried so quickly that we were kind of stuck with what we had, and had to make the best of it,” said series sophomore Callum Hedge.
After an opening lap incident that saw the 17 car end up stuck in the gravel a lap down, Hedge did all he could to make up positions and learn with each lap.
“Unfortunately for us, I spun which sent me off to the gravel and put us a lap down which at that point you are just trying to make up as many positions as you can and salvage the maximum result possible. We will take a look at things we can improve on from Barber, and be ready to in Indianapolis,” stated Hedge.
Rounds three and four of the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone season will take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 9 – 10, with practice, qualifying taking place on Friday. Race one from Indianapolis will be shown live on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 7:00pm ET. Race two will go green at 1:00pm ET live on FOX Sports 1. Keep up with all the action this weekend by following @abelmotorsports on social media, or by visiting www.abelmotorsports.com
About ABEL Motorsports: ABEL Motorsports Team Principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family motorsports tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched starting in the USF2000 series and building their way up the junior open-wheel ladder. ABEL Motorsports was able to capture the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood.
Today, ABEL Motorsports is a leading force in the INDY NXT by Firestone Championship, the official development series of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, where the team operates as a multi-car organization focused on the future. 2024 was a breakout season for ABEL Motorsports scoring three wins, three pole positions, and 12 podiums on their way to second in the entrant championship.
Always looking towards the future, ABEL Motorsports made their foray into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2023 as the team entered the 107th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the Indianapolis 500 with driver RC Enerson.
About ABEL Construction Company: ABEL Construction is one of the largest general contractors in Kentucky, holding licenses in thirteen states. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Indiana, with the corporate office in Louisville. Their expertise spans many areas, including general contracting, construction management, design-build, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and facilities maintenance.
ABEL Construction has helped build some of the region’s most recognizable landmarks. Their projects cover diverse sectors, including automotive, healthcare, post-secondary education, commercial, food/beverage, tech, and industrial/manufacturing. They prioritize client satisfaction, focusing on efficient project delivery regardless of size or cost. The company’s skilled professionals utilize cutting-edge technology and software to ensure successful outcomes. abelconstruct.com/.