“It’s been pretty flat out”: Jacob Abel sheds light on his stepup to IndyCar racing ahead of 2025 season

Former Indy NXT driver Jacob Abel recently previewed his IndyCar debut ahead of the 2025 campaign. Abel is set to make his IndyCar Series debut with Dale Coyne Racing.

Jacob Abel’s journey to IndyCar began in 2017 when he made his debut in the Road to Indy series with Newman Wachs Racing. He competed part-time in 2018 before stepping up to the Indy Pro 2000 Championship in 2019.

His career gained momentum in 2022 when he joined Indy NXT with Abel Motorsports. Finishing 8th in his rookie season, he made significant progress the following year, securing 5th place in the 2023 standings. However, his breakout moment came in 2024, when he delivered an impressive campaign—winning three races and finishing as the championship runner-up.

Following his standout 2024 season, Abel completed a test session with Dale Coyne Racing, ultimately securing his IndyCar deal for 2025. In a recent episode of the DIVEBOMB IndyCar Podcast, Abel revealed how his life has changed since officially stepping up to IndyCar. He stated:

"It's awesome, man. I think it's finally starting to set in a little bit as we're kind of getting to work. We were at the track a couple of days ago and I was at the shop a good bits. So, all of that, it's kind of started to become real." (0:25)

Abel added:

"It's been pretty flat out ever since that announcement. The off-season up to that point had been a little slow. I was just preparing for something that we didn't know what we were preparing for. But now that everything is set in stone, we have a little bit of time still till St Pete's, but it's been pretty flat out ever since."

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Jacob Abel describes the "stressful" period before signing with Dale Coyne Racing

Despite his impressive Indy NXT campaign, securing an IndyCar seat was far from guaranteed for Jacob Abel. In the same podcast, he described that the period before signing with Dale Coyne Racing was uncertain. Abel revealed:

"It was very stressful, not knowing what was coming next. I'd go to the gym every day like I always do and try and be as prepared and ready for whatever it may be. But yeah, you don't really know what you are actually preparing for." (20:50)

He added:

"So, it was nice to get something finally done. Now for the foreseeable future, there will be a next time on track. So, it's all eyes looking forward to that and trying to make that as productive as possible."

Jacob Abel is set to pilot the No. 51 Chevrolet for Dale Coyne Racing. He will make his IndyCar debut on March 2 in the Grand Prix of St Petersburg.