Jacob Abel qualified 25th and finished 23rd in his maiden NTT INDYCAR SERIES start on March 2 in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.

With the gap between races, Abel kept hard at work by testing March 11 at Barber Motorsports Park, alongside 18 other drivers.

Barber is a special place for Abel. He earned his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory last April at the 2.3-mile Alabama road course, which came from the pole. With strong memories from his previous success there, the Barber test could be a key moment in Abel’s spring performance.

“I pulled a lot from my experience in the INDY NXT car here,” he said. “This is a track that I’ve always loved. I’ve always kind of known how to make a car go fast around here.”

Abel aims to take what he learned at the Barber test and apply that in the second race weekend of the season, March 21-23 at The Thermal Club. He also has testing experience, in January, at the 3.067-mile road course near Palm Springs, California. The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix, airing at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, the Fox Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network, marks another important step for the rookie driver as he gets up to speed in his first full NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with Dale Coyne Racing.

The series returns to Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, May 4 for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix, then speeds to the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday, May 10. Abel also won an INDY NXT road race last May on the IMS road course.

Abel’s success at tracks like Barber and IMS gives him a strong foundation as the rookie continues to adapt to NTT INDYCAR SERIES machinery.

While most first-year drivers face the challenge of learning the car’s nuances and new tracks, Abel is beginning to build confidence. Previous success at tracks like Barber and IMS allows him to focus on other developmental areas, such as adapting to the hybrid unit, a significant feature on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES car that isn’t featured in the junior categories. The hybrid unit, introduced to the series last July, has been a new challenge for all drivers.

Abel has limited experience with the hybrid, testing earlier this year at The Thermal Club and Sebring International Raceway and racing earlier this month at St. Petersburg before the Barber test. His progress will be crucial to develop his understanding of how the hybrid unit affects the performance of his No. 51 Abel Construction Honda.

“I think with the Indy car, I’m trying to adapt to the hybrid,” Abel said. “That’s the one thing that’s different for the Indy car around here. We were trying to work our way around that and go through it pretty patiently.

“I feel pretty confident about things. This track I definitely got up to speed quicker than a lot of places.”