MAY 14, 2005
Abbott, Festa Spot for IndyCar Series Drivers
By Tim Harms
indycar.com
Saturday May
14, 2005
As the top
ladder series for the IndyCar® Series, the Menards Infiniti
Pro SeriesT is the proving ground for young open-wheel race
car drivers. Running in conjunction with the IndyCar Series at
13 venues provides many opportunities to learn, but there is
no better classroom than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and
all of the activities that surround the Indianapolis 500 in
May.
In addition to
competing on the famed 2.5-mile oval on the Friday before the
89th Indy 500, two Menards Infiniti Pro Series
drivers are using the time around the track this month to gain
additional experience.
Mishael Abbott
and Chris Festa are spotting for IndyCar Series drivers Jaques
Lazier and Richie Hearn, respectively.
"Mike Colliver
is my engineer, and he's also engineering Jaques' car," said
Abbott, who will drive the No. 91 Hemelgarn Johnson
Motorsports entry in the Futaba Freedom 100. "He knew I was
going to be here all month and he asked me if I wanted
something to do, so I said sure."
A similar
scenario unfolded for Festa, driver of the No. 19 entry for
Sam Schmidt Motorsports, the same team which is fielding Hearn
in the Indianapolis 500.
"Spotting has
been a great experience," Abbott said. "I've been able to
watch Jaques and all of the other drivers from Turn 3 and see
how they track through the turns. I'm learning a lot about
what lines they drive, and that should help me as I prepare
for the Futaba Freedom 100. I'm also able to listen to the
communication between Mike and Jaques, and that will benefit
me as well."
The Menards
Infiniti Pro Series drivers will return to IMS on Thursday,
May 26 for practice and qualifying for the third annual Futaba
Freedom 100. The 100-mile race starts at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) on
Miller Lite Carb Day, Friday, May 27.
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