IndyCar: One driver not participating in Indy 500 test

Just 33 of the 34 IndyCar drivers on the entry list for the Indy 500 are set to participate in the open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week.

There is still one race on the IndyCar schedule before the series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for official on-track action, first for the road course race on Sunday, May 13 and second — and more importantly — for the 107th running of the Indy 500 on Sunday, May 28.

But before that one race, which is scheduled for Sunday, April 30 at Barber Motorsports Park, the Racing Capital of the World is set to host a two-day open test on Thursday, April 20 and Friday, April 21.

From 10:00 a.m. ET to 12:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, the veterans are set to take to the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Speedway, Indiana oval. From 12:00 p.m. ET to 2:00 p.m. ET, the Rookie Orientation Program is scheduled to take place. Then from 2:00 p.m. ET to 6:30 p.m. ET, all drivers are eligible to practice. Friday’s session is open to all drivers from 10:00 a.m. ET to 4:30 p.m. ET.

However, one of the 34 IndyCar drivers on the Indy 500 entry list is not set to participate in this open test.

In the official Indianapolis Motor Speedway release, R.C. Enerson was the only driver not listed among those scheduled to participate in this week’s test sessions.

Enerson is set to attempt to qualify for the race behind the wheel of the No. 50 Chevrolet for Abel Motorsports. Abel Motorsports are an Indy NXT (Indy Lights) team that have never competed in an IndyCar race, so missing this test could put them on the back foot heading into the month of May.

Enerson’s only other Indy 500 attempt came in 2021, when he failed to qualify for Top Gun Racing. There were 35 drivers vying for 33 spots two years ago. With 34 drivers on the entry list for this 200-lap race, one entry will not qualify for this year’s Indy 500, and the one-car Abel Motorsports effort has become an early popular pick.

Aside from Abel Motorsports, there is only one non-full-time team on the Indy 500 entry list, that being Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. They are set to field the No. 23 Chevrolet for Ryan Hunter-Reay and the No. 24 Chevrolet, in partnership with Cusick Motorsports, for Stefan Wilson.

With Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and all 10 of the sport’s full-time teams set to field at least two cars, Abel Motorsports are the only team not locked into the race.