Note: This continues a series of 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone team previews on INDYNXT.com. The season starts Sunday, March 10 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Starting Lineup: Josh Mason (No. 21 Abel Motorsports), Yuven Sundaramoorthy (No. 22 Abel Motorsports), Jacob Abel (No. 51 Abel Motorsports).
2023 in Review: Abel Motorsports ran three cars at times last season, earning 16 combined top-10 finishes between the entries. Abel, the lone full-time driver, produced 11 of the 16 top-10s and ended up fifth in the final standings. He also earned his first INDY NXT by Firestone career pole, at Iowa, in a breakthrough season. Colin Kaminsky and Sundaramoorthy shared a car, with Sundaramoorthy finishing the season with the team. Abel also fielded an entry for Francesco Pizzi for four races.
New for ’24: The team will field three full-time drivers this season. Stalwart Abel is joined by Sundaramoorthy and Josh Mason, a British rookie. Mason brings a wealth of experience having spent most of his career in Europe, including competing in 2023 in the FIA F2 championship. With talent and experience, Abel Motorsports hopes to knock HMD Motorsports, Andretti Global and Juncos Hollinger Racing off the throne, with those three organizations combining to take seven of the last eight INDY NXT by Firestone championships, including the last six in a row.
Keep an Eye on This: Driver Abel is on the cusp of a breakthrough victory. He’s improved every year but has yet to find victory lane in USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 or INDY NXT by Firestone. This could be his year. Abel went from a best finish of fourth as a rookie in the 2022 INDY NXT by Firestone season, including five top-five finishes and 11 top-10 results in 14 races, to four podium results, eight top-five finishes and 11 top-10s in 14 starts a year ago. Among those podiums was a runner-up finish at both Road America and Iowa Speedway. Following a strong NTT INDYCAR SERIES test for Dale Coyne Racing this offseason and Abel Motorsports looking make an Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge appearance again this May, if Abel can produce in 2024, he could graduate to the INDYCAR SERIES in 2025.
Little-Known Fact: Sundaramoorthy this winter completed his degree in computer science at the University of Wisconsin. This season will mark the first of his entire career without being a student.