IndyCar driver makes unexpected move to endurance racing after 2025 failure

IndyCar driver Jacob Abel is set to make a switch to endurance racing in the offseason after a dismal rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing. The 24-year-old will make his LMP2 debut with Vector Sport RLR in the 2025-26 season of the Asian Le Mans Series.

Abel will pilot the No. 70 Oreca 07 Gibson alongside Daniel Schneider, also making his Asian Le Mans debut, and Vlad Lomko, who will enter his fourth season in the series. Lomko competed with Vector Sport RLR in the European Le Mans Series this year and will extend his partnership with them with the upcoming Asian Le Mans Series.

For Jacob Abel, this move comes on the heels of a disappointing 2025 IndyCar season. He raced the No. 50/51 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing, finding himself qualifying and finishing races towards the back of the 27-driver grid in most cases. A P11 at race 2 of the Iowa double-header was the best result of his season.

Speaking about this new partnership with Vector Sport RLR for the Asian Le Mans, Abel said (via SportsCar365):

"I am very excited for the challenge of the Asian Le Mans Series. The Vector Sport RLR team has built a great programme, and I am eager to hit the track and get started. There will certainly be a learning curve with new circuits, but I am very confident my experience will help me get up to speed quickly and ultimately help the team achieve strong results."

Jacob Abel was one of three rookies in the 2025 IndyCar season alongside PREMA Racing's Robert Shwartzman and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Louis Foster. Abel got ruled out of the Rookie of the Year battle earlier than expected because of subpar performances.

Shwartzman and Foster battled it out in the season finale at Nashville, where Foster emerged as the 2025 ROTY, finishing 23rd in the standings with 213 points, only two points ahead of his rival. Abel finished dead last in the standings in P27 among the full-time drivers.

Where does Jacob Abel stand as Dale Coyne Racing evaluates drivers for its second IndyCar seat for 2026?

Jacob Abel at the 2025 IndyCar BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland - Source: Getty

Dale Coyne Racing will see a new two-driver IndyCar lineup in 2026. Though the team offered Rinus Veekay a one-year extension, the Dutch driver, who outperformed the car in 2025, rejected the offer to join Juncos Hollinger Racing as its 'lead driver'.

DCR replaced him with 2025 Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger, who remains under Andretti Global's umbrella going into 2026. Unfortunately, Jacob Abel doesn't seem to be in the mix for the second seat.

The existing prospects include Romain Grosjean, Conor Daly, Linus Lundqvist, and, as per some rumors, Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese F1 driver might see his future at Red Bull end after the 2025 season. Red Bull is set to announce its 2026 driver lineup after the Qatar Grand Prix weekend, with Isack Hadjar expected to replace Tsunoda.

Dale Coyne had shared that he expects to finalize his IndyCar team's lineup by Thanksgiving or by mid-December at the latest. The Thanksgiving deadline has passed, and it remains to be seen when the final domino of the silly season will fall.