Myles Rowe continues to lead the way for INDY NXT by Firestone testing topping both test sessions at Barber Motorsports Park
Jordan Missig completes 285 miles of testing in the one-day test
Yuven Sundaramoorthy excited with progress he and his Optima Batteries crew made for 2025
Callum Hedge continues to impress ending in the top three in testing times at Barber
Speedway, Ind. (November 4, 2024) – Preparations for the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone season continued on for ABEL Motorsports, this time returning to the site of their first INDY NXT victory, Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds Alabama.
The maiden outing for the newly paired ABEL Motorsports with Force Indy and driver Myles Rowe couldn’t have gone better ending the test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the fastest overall lap. That pace and momentum continued as the off-season testing rolled on down South.
“Racing is all about building relationships and trust amongst each other and letting the speed come naturally. Kent (Boyer) and I had a great platform that we started with at Indy, and through Barber our relationship has just gotten stronger,” said Rowe.
With times being so close, getting the Dallara IL-15 to a point where the driver can extract the most out of it is key, and Rowe was pleased with the level of effort that has been put in to make him as comfortable as possible.
“Barber is such a dynamic track, each corner one from the other is so different and as the temperature starts to rise, the track changes even that much more. We spent a lot of time in the afternoon session when the track was at its hottest just working on making the car suit my driving style. At the end of the day, my crew and I both understand what we are looking for together as a unit, and our goal is to be as cohesive as possible through 2025.”
While his 2025 plans continue to get finalized, 2024 Radical Cup North America Champion Jordan Missig, continued his marathon of laps during testing completing over 285 miles of testing during the one-day outing.
“Honestly the day for us in the No. 51 was pretty great, we had a lot of laps that went into it but with every mile and every lap comes more experience,” said Missig.
Testing is so valuable because it allows teams and drivers to try setup changes that they might not be comfortable with making on a race weekend and allows the drivers to understand what those changes do to affect their car.
“The whole point of winter or off-season testing is to get as many laps completed and as big of a notebook we can put together. We made quite a few changes through the course of the day which allowed me to feel different changes in the car, which just helps my learning and knowledge of the car. Everything we are learning is a step in the right direction to building up the confidence, building up the skill level and building up the knowledge of this car which at the end of the day is what makes you a champion.”
For the second consecutive test, Callum Hedge was back in the seat of the No. 17 ABEL Motorsports Dallara as the New Zealander worked on getting more experience at the Augusta of Motorsports.
“Decent day for us at Barber Motorsports Park, I was really happy to be back with ABEL Motorsports and just be back in the INDY NXT car at a track I don’t have a ton of laps at,” said Callum Hedge.
While he was an INDY NXT driver in 2024, the weekend at Barber Motorsports Park was one that was of minimal laps for Hedge as he had to miss the test at Barber last year and lost practice 1 on the race weekend.
“I really learned a lot about this track and car combination today especially considering I missed the test here last year and the first practice session during the race weekend, so a lot of today was just catching up and getting up to speed here.”
“Safe to say I need to do a little bit of strength work for this track, but all in all an incredibly positive day ending up near the top of the charts. The speed and comfort were absolutely there, so just a few things to go back and look at to make us just that much faster.”
As Yuven Sundaramoorthy prepares for his sophomore season in INDY NXT in 2025, the Wisconsin native knows that building on his notes from 2024 will be paramount as he looks ahead to next season.
“It was great to get back on track at Barber Motorsports Park, especially when I am thinking about tracks that I need to improve on for 2025,” said Sundaramoorthy.
Sundaramoorthy’s rookie season in INDY NXT by Firestone competition was all about learning, and collecting as much data as possible while the 21-year-old got a feel for INDY NXT competition.
“2024 was absolutely a learning year for us, and I think towards the end of the season our real potential started to show through. There are a few tracks that I have circled on the calendar that I want to improve at, and Barber is absolutely on that list and I think the changes and work that we put in today will only come back to benefit us here in April.”
With the 2025 season looming closer and closer, the ABEL Motorsports team now will have a slight break before the next on track testing sessions as they prepare for the long stretch ahead. Keep up with all of the off-season work and announcements by following @abelmotorsports on social media or by visiting www.abelmotorsports.com
About ABEL Motorsports: Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family racing tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched, starting in the USF2000 series and building up the junior open wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.
ABEL Motorsports currently competes in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver RC Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.
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/.