SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Abel Motorsports announced its entry into the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday May 24 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Louisville driver Jacob Abel will be behind the wheel of the No 51 Abel Motorsports Chevrolet.
“I am excited and grateful to be able to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to have a shot at the Indianapolis 500. It’s been a lifelong dream to compete in that race and to have the opportunity to do it with Abel Motorsports and Chevrolet makes it even more special,” said Jacob Abel.
2024 was both a breakout year for Abel Motorsports and Jacob Abel as the pairing scored three pole positions and three wins on their way to second in the Indy NXT drivers’ championship. That propelled Jacob Abel to the premier North American open-wheel racing series, the NTT IndyCar in 2025.
“The Indianapolis 500 is the greatest race in the world and the teams that compete reflect that. Having won races and competed for championships with Abel Motorsports over my whole career, I am very confident in the program that they put together.”
“It is going to be amazing to share this experience with not only my actual family, but the team that has become my family over the years. The preparations have been ongoing for some time, and I’m eager to finally get on track,” exclaimed the 25-year-old.
As Bill Abel’s team continued to grow alongside his son’s career, the opportunity to have Jacob back in the mix at Abel Motorsports and on the biggest stage the Indianapolis 500, was something the elder Abel was determined to make happen.
“We’re all beyond excited to have Jacob back with us at Abel Motorsports and ecstatic to be returning to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing! It takes a lot of special people to make this happen, and I can’t thank Chevrolet and IndyCar enough for their help and belief in bringing this to life,” stated team owner Bill Abel.
“We have a tremendous group at Abel Motorsports, with a lot of NTT IndyCar Series experience and we really feel like we are in a great spot to give Jacob everything he needs. To have the opportunity to compete in the Indianapolis 500 in 2023 with R.C, Enerson was so cool and I’ll never forget the moment immediately after we qualified and put RC in the show… it was really emotional and special to me. Now, to have the opportunity to come back here with Jacob as our driver, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
For veteran Team Manager John Brunner, the opportunity to run Jacob Abel with the Abel Motorsports team is something that brings a smile to his face.
“The opportunity to enter a car in the Indy 500 is always an exciting adventure but this is quite special to do it with Jacob as the driver. The Abel’s hired me in 2021 to help build on the team that they had already assembled and to help Jacob with the next levels of his open-wheel journey. The Indy 500 was our goal and we are here thanks to the support of our crew and families, INDYCAR, Firestone, and Chevrolet,” said Brunner.
