Kyle Kirkwood reunited with Andretti Global in 2023 after earning the 2021 INDY NXT by Firestone championship for the team. In 2022, he competed as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie for AJ Foyt Racing.
Kirkwood produced a breakout season in 2023, scoring his first two NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories in his return to Andretti Global – both street-circuit events, at Long Beach and Nashville.
Returning to the No. 27 AutoNation Honda in 2024, Kirkwood suffered a winless season in 17 starts. But he improved in every other statistical category, going from two top-five finishes to five, seven top-10 finishes to 13 and, most importantly, 11th in points to seventh.
“I think this year has been better,” he said. “We’ve been consistently at the front. We’ve been very competitive at every event that we’ve gone to. There’s never really been a point where I felt like we were on the back foot and can’t do well during a weekend. As a whole, we’ve been better.
“Of course, we didn’t have those two big wins. Obviously, there’s a lot of hype over those two wins, but as a whole, I’ll take the top-fives, top-10s and consistency that we had over the two wins again.”
Kirkwood, who turned 26 on Oct. 19, trailed fifth-place Pato O’Ward by 40 points in the standings. Closing the gap to a top-five points finish is the next measurable growth Kirkwood would like to accomplish. Doing so comes down to improved speed and better execution.
Florida native Kirkwood was pleased with both areas in 2024, but they paled in comparison to Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, which have won 11 consecutive INDYCAR SERIES championships and produced three of the top four drivers in points this season.
“A little bit to work on, but as a whole, we've made a huge progression year over year, and I'm extremely happy with the results that we've had this season,” he said.
Kirkwood ended the year on a high note in the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway. He earned his lone NTT P1 Award of the season, his first pole on an oval, and lead a race-high 67 of 206 laps en route to a fourth-place effort.
He began 2024 with 10 consecutive top-11 finishes but scored two in the next four. The team rallied, earning two more top-10 finishes in the final two races entering the offseason with positive vibes.
“That’s the main thing of confidence going out of the season,” he said. “We’ve been really, really strong. I feel like we’re taking a constant step up. Hopefully that trend continues through the offseason, and we show up to St. Pete with rocket ships. That’s the goal, but this is good confidence for the guys.”
Andretti Global is going through a bit of turnover in leadership this offseason with Michael Andretti relinquishing day-to-day control to Dan Towriss, Andretti’s partner in the racing organization and the CEO and president of Group 1001.
Group 1001 is the parent company of Andretti partners Gainbridge and Delaware Life.
Andretti had led the team since its inception in the early 2000s, but the changeover isn’t expected to change the way the racing side operates. The goals and momentum from a strong end of season remain unchanged for 2025.