Jacob Abel Misses Cut at Indianapolis 500 Qualifying

Jacob Abel, a driver for Dale Coyne Racing, failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.

Despite his efforts, Abel's teammate Rinus VeeKay was the final qualifier for the race. Marco Andretti and Marcus Armstrong also qualified during Last Chance Qualifying.

“As soon as we hit Saturday, we just didn’t have any pace. Honestly just kept getting slower and slower each run,” Abel said.

Abel reflected on his disappointing performance, stating, “Unfortunately, been preparing for this a little bit the last couple of days, or the last day, really. We were fast all week. I felt really good with the race car all week long. We were in a good place.”

Nolan Siegel, who was also struggling to qualify, showed his support by giving Abel a hug after he failed to make the cut. Siegel had previously been bumped from the Indy 500 in 2024 but managed to qualify 26th for the 2025 Indianapolis 500.

“I do appreciate all the support from the other drivers,” Abel said. “It means the world to me.”

Although he didn't make the cut, Abel remained optimistic and plans to attend the Indianapolis 500 as a fan. He acknowledged it would be tough but expressed his enthusiasm for the race.

“I’m a huge fan of this race,” Abel said. “I’ve been to the last 12 of them. It’s going to be hard to be a fan this year at the race, for sure, but just going to keep moving forward. It’s been a tough year so far and just going to keep our heads down and hopefully our luck will turn around a little bit.”

Abel is in his rookie season in IndyCar and has had a challenging year so far. Despite the setback, he remains determined to improve.

“We’ll be back next year, hopefully”