Copyright RACER
Kyle Kirkwood could have chased more dollars and greater status at a better IndyCar Series team, so why did the driver sitting on pole position to cash in during the next silly season cycle take his name off the list before the stampede for his services could start? Coming off of a breakout season in which he ascended to lead Andretti Global’s championship pursuit, Kirkwood was primed to entertain sizable offers for 2027 from all corners of the paddock. Chip Ganassi Racing and Arrow McLaren, the two teams that out-ran his No. 27 Andretti Global Honda, and Meyer Shank Racing, the best team behind Andretti, would love to have IndyCar’s top American driver. But just as he did in September of 2023 when a cadre of teams were expressing interest in liberating the then-24-year-old from Andretti Global, Kirkwood, now 27, went first – with one year remaining on his present deal – and signed an extension before the rest of the free agent class started angling for new opportunities. Was it an impatient move for the driver who was expected to draw more interest than any other, or was it a mature decision by an emerging star who wanted to remove all distractions from his immediate future? History says it’s the latter. Having risen to fourth in the championship last season on the strength of three wins – two on street circuits, which have become a specialty, and his first on an oval – Kirkwood demonstrated a year-to-year progression that warranted an early and lucrative commitment from the Andretti team. He could have played his front-running status against Andretti and used the free agency process to prolong the process and squeeze more from the team, but Kirkwood’s a bit of a throwback, an old soul in a young body. He lives an intentionally uncomplicated and rewarding life. He drives race cars. He fishes. He lives modestly in small house. You won’t find Ferraris or other status symbols in his garage; flashy assets holds no value for Kirkwood. He saves his earnings or invests in residential properties to renovate, sell, and increase his savings. He’s on social media, but doesn’t crave attention or chase followers. He loves his boat, which isn’t particularly large, but it’s his happy place – where he casts a reel and maintains his balance – when he’s not working. The one decent expenditure of late from Kirkwood came shortly after the IndyCar season ended, and it speaks to why he opted to sign an extension that will keep him in place for a few more years. With the three wins in mind, second only to champion Alex Palou, Kirkwood flew the members of his pit crew who were available and their families to the Caribbean for a week of fishing and fun as a grand gesture of appreciation for their excellence and support. The easier approach would have been to visit the Andretti shop and hand out Rolex watches to express his gratitude, but he went with something that was more personal. Instead of cold timepieces, it was island warmth and fellowshipping and laughs and memories – the opposite of material possessions – to strengthen their collective bond. Kirkwood’s call to take himself off the negotiating table had nothing to do with selling himself short; this was the opposite, a demonstration of having full confidence in himself, his crew, and his team to catch the Ganassis and Arrow McLarens. As some of his contemporaries rifle through personnel changes on an annual basis, Kirkwood’s shown himself to be loyal and committed to those who’ve committed to him. He wants to win with the ones who brought him to the proverbial dance, which is a refreshing take for a driver who’s reaching his prime. From his crew chief to his race strategist to his race engineer, Kirkwood sees the ingredients throughout the No. 27 program to take that final step forward, and that’s another reason to stay. In an Andretti outfit where he’s risen to become its best driver, Kirkwood revels in the challenge to topple IndyCar’s most formidable entries. He was a 13-year-old karting phenom when Andretti won its last IndyCar championship; it’s an unflattering streak dating back to 2012 that Kirkwood’s determined to end. He finds meaning in earning something he’s helped to create, which fits his character. Andretti has become Kirkwood’s team, which makes leaving to chase a ring in someone else’s house an underwhelming proposition. That duty-bound side of Kirkwood has been evident for a while in another series he loves. He won the USF Pro 2000 title in 2019 and was due to drive for Andretti in Indy Lights in 2020, but the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. The timing was terrible for Kirkwood, who was young and untethered, and then he received an outreach from Jimmy Vasser and James 'Sulli' Sullivan, who recruited him to drive for their emerging Lexus IMSA GTD program. The Vasser Sullivan team had won a couple of races at that point, but wasn’t yet the powerhouse it would become, and had already filled its yearlong seats when Kirkwood’s career stalled. Thanks to the faith shown by its owners to find work for the humble-but-scrappy open-wheeler, Kirkwood was signed as the extra driver for some of IMSA’s endurance races. It wasn’t much, but it was something. In response to their commitment when he had nothing, Kirkwood’s stayed true to Jimmy and Sulli and just completed his sixth season with the Lexus effort. In the same way he sees Andretti, he views Vasser and Sullivan like family. That’s his tribe. They rock with him, and he rocks with them. And they’ve won some major IMSA races together. In kind with Andretti, removing any doubt about his intent to win more races and vie for championships was a natural response for Kirkwood. He’s found his open-wheel home, and there was no reason to leave. Palou and Ganassi. O’Ward and Arrow McLaren. Kirkwood and Andretti. Three elite next-generation drivers ranging in age from 26-28, all on multi-year contracts, all set to lead the three best IndyCar teams. Throw in whomever steps up to lead Team Penske, and there’s some serious talent spread across the series’ top teams who are primed to battle for our entertainment late into the decade.
