Abel Motorsports is an American racing team based in Speedway, Indiana, that built its operation on the Road to Indy development ladder and today competes part-time in the IndyCar Series alongside a full program in Indy NXT. The organization was founded in 2015 by Bill Abel, who still serves as team owner and principal today. Over the years the team worked its way through virtually every rung of the development pyramid, from the U.S. F2000 National Championship through the Formula 4 United States Championship to the Formula Regional Americas Championship and the Indy Pro 2000 Championship, before making the jump to Indy NXT and eventually the IndyCar Series.
A chapter of its own in the team’s history is its road to the Indianapolis 500. After a first attempt at the 2023 edition of the legendary race, Abel Motorsports announced another attempt for 2024, but had to withdraw the entry in early May 2024 after driver R. C. Enerson was unable to secure the necessary funding in time. This episode illustrates just how tight the budget of an independent team in North American open-wheel racing can be, and how much the jump into the IndyCar Series depends on sponsorship and timing, even when the sporting potential is there.
The team’s most successful stretch so far has come in Indy NXT. In April 2024, a round at Barber Motorsports Park brought the team’s first-ever season win in the series, kicking off a genuine breakout season: in 2024 Abel Motorsports collected a total of three wins, three pole positions and twelve podium finishes, establishing itself as a fixture in the NTT IndyCar Series’ development program. These results marked the transition from a pure ladder team to a serious multi-car organization with a clear eye on bigger tasks.
Today, Abel Motorsports continues to operate under Bill Abel’s leadership as a strong force in Indy NXT by Firestone, while select entries in the IndyCar Series round out the program. After debuting with RC Enerson at the 2023 Indianapolis 500, the team returned to the year’s biggest race in 2026 with Jacob Abel, underlining its ambition to consistently guide young talent toward American open-wheel racing’s top tier.
With a broad base in Indy NXT and another IndyCar entry at the 2026 Indianapolis 500, Abel Motorsports is clearly looking ahead. The combination of a solid development program, growing experience around the world’s biggest oval race, and continuity under team owner Bill Abel forms the foundation on which the team is planning its next steps toward a more permanent IndyCar commitment.
Abel Motorsports in the News