The 22-year-old Kentucky native drove the family-owned #51 entry to four podiums and one pole en route to fifth in the 2023 Indy NXT championship standings and finally received a late call-up to pound laps around Sebring’s 1.7-mile short course.
Equipped with five sets of tires and race engineer Alex Athanasiadis on the timing stand, Abel set off for roughly 130 laps in the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda, with a quick lap of 52.27s.
“It was really good,” Abel told Autosport. “I think that everyone was happy and it went well and we were able to put down some really competitive times there at the end.
“At the end of the day, the main goal of everything was just to learn and progress. With track time being so limited nowadays, it's always good to get in the car, especially in IndyCar; they test very, very limited. So yeah, it was a very successful day, and a lot was learned.”
Despite it being his first time on track in the car, the transition was fairly straightforward for Abel.
“The car is fantastic,” Abel said. “It just does everything way better. It shifts super smooth. It handles bumps very well with the shocks being open. You know, it leaves room for a lot of development, which means these things are pretty good. In a place like Sebring that definitely helps. Obviously, a bit more power.
“The Indy NXT car prepares really, really well for it. I mean, it was nothing out of the ordinary at all. I got up to speed very quickly and didn't really feel out of my comfort zone at all. If anything, it was a bit easier to drive than the Indy NXT car even. Overall, really good and it makes me excited for the future and hungry to chase whatever opportunities are there.”
Source: Autosport