Indy 500 entry list gets to 32 with Abel

Abel Motorsports will enter the Indy 500 with driver Jacob Abel, the team has announced, nearly completing the long-sought field of 33 starters. Abel will drive the Chevrolet-powered No. 51 car in the team’s second visit to the Speedway.

The entry marks Abel’s return to IndyCar, having last competed in 2025 with Dale Coyne Racing.

“I am excited and grateful to be able to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to have a shot at the Indianapolis 500,” Abel said. “It’s been a lifelong dream to compete in that race, and to have the opportunity to do it with Abel Motorsports and Chevrolet makes it even more special.

“The Indianapolis 500 is the greatest race in the world, and the teams that compete reflect that. Having won races and competed for championships with Abel Motorsports over my whole career, I am very confident in the program that they put together. The preparations have been ongoing for some time, and I’m eager to finally get on track.”

Abel Motorsports ran its first 500 in 2023 with driver RC Enerson, and team owner Bill Abel is thrilled to have his son by his side for the team’s second entry.

“We’re all beyond excited to have Jacob back with us at Abel Motorsports and ecstatic to be returning to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” he said. “It takes a lot of special people to make this happen, and I can’t thank Chevrolet and IndyCar enough for their help and belief in bringing this to life.

“We have a tremendous group at Abel Motorsports with a lot of IndyCar experience, and we really feel like we are in a great spot to give Jacob everything he needs. To have the opportunity to compete in the Indianapolis 500 in 2023 with RC Enerson was so cool, and I’ll never forget the moment immediately after we qualified and put RC in the show… it was really emotional and special to me. Now, to have the opportunity to come back here with Jacob as our driver, it doesn’t get any better than that!”

Team manager and multi-time 500 entrant John Brunner is looking forward to seeing the Abel’s dream of a family affair in Indianapolis come to life.

“The opportunity to enter a car in the Indy 500 is always an exciting adventure, but this is quite special to do it with Jacob as the driver,” Brunner said. “The Abels hired me in 2021 to help build on the team that they had already assembled and to help Jacob with the next levels of his open-wheel journey. The Indy 500 was our goal, and we are here thanks to the support of our crew and families, IndyCar, Firestone, and Chevrolet.”

The full entry list is tipped to be completed by an AJ Foyt Racing entry for Katherine Legge, although that still awaits formal confirmation.