MUNDELEIN, Ill. – Newman Wachs Racing is pleased to confirm that they will add American karting graduate Jacob Abel to their driver line-up for next weekend’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The 16-year-old completed a successful test with the team at Autobahn Country Club this week in preparation for the July 28-30 event at Mid-Ohio, and will focus on gaining experience in the Mazda Road to Indy. Abel has made nine starts in the F4 U.S. Championship this year and will pilot the #37 Newman Wachs Racing / Abel Construction Tatuus USF-17 for the team next weekend.

“We had a very productive test with Jacob at Autobahn earlier this week and this bodes well for his USF2000 debut at the track next weekend,” commented Brian Halahan, Newman Wachs Racing Team Manager. “Our team is coming off a very successful weekend in Toronto with Darren (Keane) and to have two talented karting graduates for the Mid-Ohio event will provide us with the additional data we need to dial in the set-up. We’re extremely happy to have Jacob under the tent and I expect him to perform well in his series debut. I watched him closely at the F4 event at Indianapolis in June and I was impressed, and he showed incredibly well at the test.”

Abel’s racing career has been brief, beginning in 2015 at New Castle Motorsports Park, the popular karting facility located just east of Indianapolis. Jacob jumped right into the deep end in karting, advancing quickly from club competition to the highly-competitive national series run by the World Karting Association and Superkarts! USA. The Louisville, KY high school student is competing in the F4 US Championship this year and has his eyes on graduating to the USF2000 program in 2018.

"I am extremely excited to get into the USF2000 car with Newman Wachs Racing at Mid-Ohio,” Abel commented. “In the one test day we had in the car, I showed good pace and built a strong relationship with the guys at NWR. Mid-Ohio is actually the track at which I first drove a race car last year, when I completed my three-day school there. I've been itching to drive the track again ever since I left the school, which makes me even more excited for the event."

Newman Wachs Racing will roll into Mid-Ohio on Tuesday to set-up shop, as the USF2000 drivers will be on-track on Thursday, July 27. The official weekend schedule for Keane and Abel will begin with a 30-minute practice session on Thursday at 2:45 pm. Qualifying for Race 1 will take place on Friday, July 28 at 7:50 am ahead of a 12:30 pm start time for the first race of the doubleheader. Race 2 qualifying is set for 8:00 am on Saturday, July 29, while the race itself will cap the USF2000 weekend at 12:10 pm. All times are Eastern.

All five of the official USF2000 sessions will be broadcast live on the Road to Indy TV App, RoadToIndy.TV, usf2000.com, the IndyCar Facebook page and the IndyCar.com Race Control page.

JACOB ABEL – SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jacob.abel.9634

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About Newman Wachs Racing: NWR was formed by late actor and long-time Indy car team owner Paul Newman and long-time racing friend Eddie Wachs in 2005 to aid development of young drivers in Champ Car’s Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. Among the drivers to go through the NWR program were JR Hildebrand and Simona de Silvestro. After a seven-year hiatus, Newman Wachs Racing has returned to racing, competing in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda on the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires.