FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Speedway, Ind. – It was a quick day for the entire Abel Motorsports team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for round 10 of the 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone Championship. With all of the action on 1 day, the Abel Motorsports team had their hands full once again fielding a trio of cars for Jacob Abel, Colin Kaminsky and Francesco Pizzi.
The lone practice session did not end how the team had planned for with Jacob Abel being the team’s top finisher on the charts in 13th , but with the extremely hot temperatures the team knew they had a plan for the race and the longer green flag runs.
Qualifying saw times once again pick up for the field but ultimately Abel would have to settle for 8th with Francesco Pizzi in 17th followed closely by Colin Kaminsky in 19th. While the times did not show the outright pace of the Abel Motorsports cars, the team kept their heads down solely focused on the 35-laps that lay ahead in the hottest part of the day.
The team and drivers’ persistence paid off when the green flag fell for the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix. Abel got to work right away as he knew passing would be at a premium. Abel managed to maneuver from his 8th place starting position on the opening corners to slot into 5th. Getting through the chaotic few laps Abel settled into the race pace and began running consistent laps all the while conserving his Firestone tires to use at the end. As the front runners began to wear their tires out Abel began to slowly reel them in. On lap 29 he made his move on Simpson for 4th where he would wind up finishing, a very strong rebound for Abel and team.
“This was a tough day, not only with the heat but just having such tight windows in-between sessions to make adjustments. This team just never gives up, we didn’t roll off the truck with the speed that we were hoping for but we just kept chipping away at it and remained focused on the race, because ultimately that is all that matters when you’re fighting for a championship. We’re now moving on to 3 tracks that we know we will be fast at and I can’t wait to see what this group can accomplish as we get closer and closer to the finale in Laguna,” said Jacob Abel.
Colin Kaminsky jumped right back into the No. 57 Slick Locks Dallara and didn’t skip a beat with his race pace. The series rookie got to work on the opening lap and began putting pressure on the cars in front of him. Driving like a seasoned veteran, Kaminsky slowly picked cars off 1 by 1 even in the final handful of laps to finish 11th in the race and also pick up the Biggest Mover of the race title. Kaminsky really came on strong at the end of the race as he was managed his tires and was able to make a big push to gain positions, ultimately running out of laps to get even higher on the timing charts.
“It was great to finally get back in the INDY NXT car and do what I love to do which is race. It took a few laps to shake the rust off in practice, but I can’t say enough about this team and the level of preparation that they have which helps me be able to jump back in after missing a few races and pick right back up where we left off. I feel like if I had a few more laps I could have grabbed a couple of more positions because we were really coming on strong at the end as tires began to fall off, but to come home 11th is not a bad day in the office,” said Kaminsky.
Hoping to put the frustrations of Nashville behind him, Francesco Pizzi was looking forward to head to a track that he has experience on and see what he could show in his second outing in the No. 55 Dallara IL-15. Right in the middle of the chaos on the opening lap, Pizzi remained calm and just focused on getting into rhythm to set up smart passes on the cars ahead of him. As the race action settled down, Pizzi was able to start attacking the cars in front for position. As the laps began to tick away, contact from a car behind sent Pizzi spinning and ultimately wound up to him coming in to have the Abel Motorsports crew inspect the damage on the No. 55 car. Pizzi would wind up finishing 16th.
“It was great to get back to a track where I have experience and am very comfortable, but the bad luck is still following me. I felt like practice and qualifying weren’t the best for me, but in the race the car and track were really coming to me, and I was able to start making passes on some guys. Unfortunately getting hit from behind and having to pit to check the damage cost us a chance at a good finish. I’m going to shake this one off and focus on the 2 races at Laguna and getting the maximum I can out of the car,” said Francesco Pizzi.
As the season winds down, it will be a busy few weeks for the Abel Motorsports team as they will have 3 race weekends in a row starting with the final oval of the season at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on August 26th. Keep up with all the action by following @abelmotorsports on social media.
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