Mishael Abbott
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Mishael Abbott (born June 21, 1981 in Jefferson City, Missouri) is a female race car driver. Since 2001, she has raced in Formula Mazda. In 2006, she is driving for Michael Crawford Racing in the Indy Pro Series.
After starting her racing career on the local Karting scene in South Florida, Mishael Abbott, quickly climbed the ladder in the kart racing world to become the first female to win a Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) - the world's premiere shifter kart series - feature race.
Mishael is a graduate of the Lyn St. James Driver Development program and was the 2000 Kara Hendrick Scholarship winner. Along the way, participation in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge and USAC Midget series led her to professional racing.
During the 2001 season, Mishael participated in three test days with the Pro-One Motorsports Formula Mazda team. In her second test day, she was turning lap times which would have put her on the podium at the most recent Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) event at the track (GingerMan Raceway, South Haven, Michigan). In early October that year, she scored a top five finish at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course during an SCCA Regional Championship event in her first race driving a Formula Mazda.
In 2002, Mishael began her first season driving a Formula Mazda, racing in the Star Mazda Series North American Championship and SCCA National and Regional races. The North American Championship, tours famous tracks in Canada and the United States, and provided Mishael the platform for her first experience as a professional race car driver. The Star Mazda Series serves as a support race to the IMSA American Le Mans Series and Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar series events. All of the events being televised on the SPEED Channel.
Mishael tested a Menards Infiniti Pro Series car with Schmidt and Parsons Motorsports at Las Vegas Motor Speedway prior to the 2003 racing season, becoming the first woman to test a Menards Infiniti Pro Series car. The Menards Infiniti Pro Series is a support series for the IRL IndyCar Series. The Menards Infiniti Pro Series races on the same tracks during the same weekends as the IRL. Mishael's success and excitement encouraged her to work in earnest toward securing sponsorship support to allow a successful bid in the series.
The 2003 and 2004 seasons found Mishael driving her Formula Mazda in the Star Mazda Series EAST Championship and in selected SCCA events taking her to top tracks on the east coast including; Sebring International Raceway, Road Atlanta Motor Sports Center, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Watkins Glen International, Virginia International Raceway, and Road America. During 2003 she had three podium finishes and was the Star Mazda EAST Championship Series' "Most Improved Driver" while wrapping up fourth place in the EAST Championship season standings. In 2004 Mishael participated in her first June Sprints being selected for the event's "Hard Charger Award", won her first SCCA National event at Virginia International Raceway, and attended for her first SCCA National Championship Runoffs - qualifying eleventh out of twenty-four Formula Mazda's.
In 2005 Mishael drove an Infiniti-powered Dallara for Hemelgarn Johnson Motorsports in the Indy Racing League Menards Infiniti Pro Series after passing her IRL rookie test in January. She became the first woman to compete in a Menards Infiniti Pro Series when she qualified fourth in the opening round at Homestead-Miami Speedway the first weekend in March. Mishael raced a limited MIPS schedule but did compete at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on both the oval and road courses, becoming the first female to do so. She also competed in her Formula Mazda on road courses in the Star Mazda EAST Championship and at selected SCCA events including the 50th Anniversary of the SCCA Chicago Region June Sprints. She won the Sonoco Hard Charger Award at the SCCA Formula Mazda National Championship Runoffs.
In addition to her Indy Pro Series driving duties in 2006, she served as Jacques Lazier's spotter during the Indianapolis 500.
