"It's like drinking from a fire hose": Jacob Abel makes honest confession about IndyCar's demanding nature

IndyCar rookie Jacob Abel has opened up on the mind-blowing pace at which the series moves. The Dale Coyne Racing driver made the step up to IndyCar in 2025 after concluding his third Indy NXT season in 2024, where he finished runner-up to Louis Foster in the championship.

Abel made his debut in the premier American open-wheel racing series at the 2025 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2. His lack of experience showed through in qualifying as he qualified dead last out of 13 drivers in group 1 in round 1. The 24-year-old started the race 25th out of 27 drivers on the grid.

Though he finished two positions higher, in P23, when the race concluded, it wasn't an impressive showing. The gain came as a result of four drivers DNFing. Will Power, Nolan Siegel and Louis Foster retired after a Lap 1 crash, while Marcus Armstrong clipped the wall and sustained damage midway in the race.

Jacob Abel spoke with IndyCar reporter Jack Harvey during the Barber test before the Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix from March 22 to 24. He summarized his first experience as flying by swiftly.

"Yeah man, it was cool. It was kind of hard to ever really take in throughout the weekend just because there's so much going on. It's like drinking from a fire hose," Abel said via the NTT Indycar Series on YouTube.

"The way everything comes at you... qualifying, first time on the green tires, all of that, it's just so much at once that it's really hard to take in. But honestly, I feel really good now that it's over. I feel happy to be able to move forward now that the first one's behind us," he added.

Fortunately for Jacob Abel, he has a great performance reference right alongside him. Teammate Rinus Veekay is a seasoned IndyCar veteran with a five-year stint with Ed Carpenter Racing under his belt. Veekay put his experience on display on the streets of St. Petersburg by recording Dale Coyne Racing's first Top 10 finish since 2023.

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Jacob Abel is grateful for his "lifelong dream come true" in IndyCar

INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Day 1 - Source: Getty

The IndyCar ladder series works in a way that drivers usually spend a maximum of two years in the topmost run, Indy NXT, before getting an IndyCar promotion or looking for drives elsewhere. However, Jacob Abel chose to stay in the junior series for a third year with ABEL Motorsports, a team owned by his dad, because he wasn't completely ready for a step up.

He reached that decision after testing Dale Coyne Racing's Indy car in November 2023. The American driver postponed his debut by a year to 2025 instead of 2024. When DCR finally made the announcement ahead of the 2025 season, Abel described how ecstatic he felt to finally see his IndyCar dream come true.

"It’s a lifelong dream come true. I can’t thank everyone who’s helped out along the way enough. I’ve had a great relationship with Dale for the last couple of years, and I’m very thankful for the confidence he has in me," he said via IndyCar.

Jacob Abel improved in the Indy NXT with each passing season - from 8th in the standings in 2022 to 5th in 2023 and finally runner-up in 2024. Since beginning work on his IndyCar campaign, the No. 51 Chevrolet has been going "flat out" to maximize his learnings.