Proud Abel will not give up the fight against Foster in Milwaukee

Jacob Abel isn't going to step away from the INDY NXT by Firestone championship race just yet. The third-year driver secured a win at Portland International Raceway on Sunday to keep his title hopes alive.

Abel drove his No. 51 Abel Motorsports Abel Construction car to victory lane for the third time this season and in his career, beating points leader Louis Foster by 0.4103 seconds. Abel trails Foster by 79 points heading into Saturday's INDY NXT by Firestone Milwaukee 100 at the Milwaukee Mile. With two races remaining, Foster needs to be 54 points ahead to clinch the title.

“The only way to really keep championship hopes alive is to win races,” Abel said.

The fact that Abel ended a nine-race drought under the circumstances he faced in Portland was an example of his maturity as a driver.

Foster built up a commanding lead in the championship with six wins in the last eight races and two second places in the other races. The reigning Portland winner also secured pole position for Sunday's race. With a seemingly insurmountable gap, Abel could have conceded defeat.

It's not in his DNA.

The Louisville native, who drives for a hard-working family racing team, was not going to let Foster and Andretti Global be handed the championship trophy without a fight.

Abel moved up the inside of Foster Sunday in the first corner of the first lap, took the lead and held him at bay for all 35 laps to secure the win.

With two races left to catch Foster at the Milwaukee Mile (August 31) and Nashville Superspeedway (September 15), Abel knows it will be tough to close the gap, but he will relish being the only driver mathematically eligible to take the championship from Foster.

“I'm trying to enjoy the last few races here, win races and get as good results as possible,” he said. “We're just trying to go out there and perform and hopefully get some attention from some INDYCAR teams because that's my goal for next year.”

Abel has shown that he has the talent to compete at the next level. His season-ending performance with three podium finishes in the last four races shows the NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams that he can perform even under tense circumstances.

By returning for a third season in INDY NXT by Firestone rather than immediately pursuing a seat in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Abel was also able to take another step in his development as a driver.

That made the journey worthwhile, no matter how this season ends.

“We had a super, super strong year,” said Abel. “Just to compete with teams and drivers like Andretti and Louis (Foster), Caio (Collet) and HMD (Motorsports) is a really tough feat. I think we did it, and we beat them on weekends, were up there all year long.”

“I am super proud of the whole team. Really proud of our performance. Unfortunately, the championship slipped away from us in the middle of the season due to a bit of bad luck and a few mistakes here and there.

“I think at the end of the day, we're still a relatively small and young team compared to these other organizations. To have accomplished what we've accomplished is really impressive in my opinion. Hopefully it's a real indication of what the future holds for the program and hopefully for me as a driver.”