🇺🇸 Jacob Abel

Jacob Abel is a professional-level driver rated 5,166, placing him among established professionals. This Racer Rating reflects a driver who has built a sustained career winning in strong single-seater fields and competing alongside full-time IndyCar professionals, though not yet as a consistent race-winner at that top level. Abel holds an FIA Silver grading in endurance racing, denoting a professional-level competitor in GT and sportscar racing who is typically early in that discipline.[1]

Abel's career has centred on the Indy Pro 2000 and Indy NXT feeder series, which produced his primary results. Between 2019 and 2024, across both championships, he started 79 times for his family's team Abel Motorsports, winning three races in Indy NXT and finishing on the podium 17 times across both series. His record against regular rivals from these fields reveals a competitive but not dominant position. Christian Rasmussen, the 2021 Indy Pro 2000 and 2023 Indy NXT champion, finished ahead of Abel in 45 of their 62 shared races. Hunter McElrea and Sting Ray Robb, both strong professionals at that level, similarly hold positive head-to-head records. However, Abel has repeatedly outperformed drivers of higher standing; he finished ahead of Kyle Kirkwood, the 2021 Indy NXT champion and Formula Regional Americas champion, on five occasions, and he beat Christian Lundgaard, a full IndyCar professional, twice across their careers. He also competed in Formula Regional Americas from 2018 to 2021, winning three races there among 12 podium finishes in 36 starts.[2]

Abel has moved into IndyCar on a part-time basis from 2025, starting 17 races without yet scoring a podium or a win. His most recent activity includes an appearance in the 2026 Indy 500, where he finished 24th, racing for his family team. He has also begun endurance racing, competing in IMSA WeatherTech events and the Asian Le Mans Series in 2026, categories in which his experience remains limited at four and six starts respectively.