- Jordan Missig earns a top 10 finish in his INDY NXT oval debut
MADISON, Ill. (August 17, 2024) – Fielding its largest race outing with four entries this weekend, ABEL Motorsports put two drivers on the podium in Saturday’s INDY NXT by Firestone OUTFRONT Showdown at World Wide Technology Raceway, with three of the team’s four drivers finishing in the top 10.
Jacob Abel, currently second in the championship title race, brought the No. 51 ABEL Construction Dallara home in second position, with Yuven Sundaramoorthy (No. 22 S Team Motorsports/ABEL Motorsports) in third. Jordan Missig (No. 21 ABEL Motorsports) earned an impressive 10th place finish in his series oval debut, while Taylor Ferns (No. 55 Bradford Allen/ABEL Motorsports) gained a position to finish 15th in her second race in the series.
The field took the green flag with Abel starting sixth, Sundaramoorthy eighth, Missig 15th and Ferns 16th – but the race didn’t stay green for long, as a car spun on the backstretch, bringing out a full course caution. Once back to green, Abel wasted no time making a move into fifth, as Sundaramoorthy captured seventh, with Missig 14th and Ferns 26th.
But two laps later, two cars ahead of Abel came together on the front straight, bringing out a second yellow. Back to green on lap 17, Abel glued himself to the race leader while Sundaramoorthy made the outside pass for fourth – gaining a front row seat for the battle for second ahead, with Abel finally claiming the clear advantage on lap 22.
Missig began his own charge, sliding into P11 on lap 25 as the field settled into a single file run – except for Sundaramoorthy, who made a move on the back straight to capture third position. Unfortunately, Ferns began to experience an issue, ultimately pulling into pit lane on lap 32.
With 23 laps remaining, a car tagged the Turn 4 wall, bringing out another caution – and bunching up the field. The green flew with 15 laps remaining as Missig took ninth with a pass on the inside with 14 laps to go. Three laps later, it was a move on the outside that briefly earned Missig P8, with the battle for position going back and forth each lap.
At the checkered flag, Abel had scored a second-place finish for his seventh podium in 11 races. Sundaramoorthy captured his first series podium in third, with Missig bringing it home in ninth and Ferns 15th.
“I did what I wanted to do on the start,” said Abel. “I basically sent it around the outside but with the yellow, I ended up having to do it again. But we were strong, the car was good, and we got as much as the car had in it today. It was a good day for us and a really good day for the team. We delivered some good race cars for sure; I just need to start a little bit higher next time so we can really get after it.”
“This feels really good, to finally get this podium,” said Sundaramoorthy. “It’s been a long time coming – and hopefully it’s the first of many. It was an incredible race, I love this track. The ABEL team gave me a great car, the 22 was on rails. I was able to make some good moves early around the high side and then at the end of the race, I think we were probably the fastest car in turns one and two, but it was just a little loose in three and four. I’m glad we had the high line, I was expecting to run that line from the start.”
“I think we learned a lot out here,” said Missig. “We definitely got the confidence up, definitely got the experience we were looking for. I felt very racy, very comfortable in the car the entire time. So that was obviously the step one we wanted to get out of the day. But the car was great, the handling was really good. Everything came in when we wanted it to, right when other cars were falling off. If we had to change one more thing, it probably would have been a little bit of gear on our end. We seem to kind of run out a little bit there at the end, trying to make some passes, though obviously, momentum and downforce helped us with some of the passes but to keep those passes, just a bit more gear on the top end would have really helped – so definitely something to note for the future. But I’m really happy with the way my first oval went.”
ABEL Motorsports thanks partners ABEL Construction Company, Advance Ready Mix, Boyd Cat®, S Team Motorsports, Quest Global and OMP for their continued support.
Next up for ABEL Motorsports and the INDY NXT by Firestone will be the Grand Prix of Portland, Sunday, August 25 at 1:10 p.m. ET. The race will be streamed live in the U.S. on Peacock, while international viewers can watch via INDYCARLIVE, with INDYCAR Radio available at indycar.com and on Sirius XM.
About ABEL Motorsports: Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family racing tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched, starting in the USF2000 series and building up the junior open wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.
ABEL Motorsports currently competes in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver RC Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.
About Abel Construction Company: ABEL Construction is one of the largest general contractors in Kentucky, holding licenses in thirteen states. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Indiana, with the corporate office in Louisville. Their expertise spans many areas, including general contracting, construction management, design-build, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and facilities maintenance.
Abel Construction has helped build some of the region’s most recognizable landmarks. Their projects cover diverse sectors, including automotive, healthcare, post-secondary education, commercial, food/beverage, tech, and industrial/manufacturing. They prioritize client satisfaction, focusing on efficient project delivery regardless of size or cost. The company’s skilled professionals utilize cutting-edge technology and software to ensure successful outcomes. abelconstruct.com/.
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