In an alternate universe, Andretti Global expanded its diverse motorsports portfolio by launching a Formula One team ahead of the 2022 season.
In that version of reality, Colton Herta was one of the team’s two F1 drivers, while Kyle Kirkwood began his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career as a rookie driving the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.
In that scenario, Kirkwood believes that he might have been out of racing entirely by 2025.
Instead, after winning the 2021 INDY NXT by Firestone championship with Andretti Global, Kirkwood spent 2022 in a transitional year, competing as a rookie in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with AJ Foyt Racing. He returned to Andretti Global in 2023 to drive the No. 27 Honda.
“I think if I would have jumped into Andretti and had the year that I did at Foyt, I might not be still in the series,” he said. “It was definitely crucial to what we’re doing now.”
Kirkwood was dominant in 2021 as an INDY NXT rookie with Andretti, winning 10 of 20 races, tied for the second-most wins in a single season in series history.
His dominance wasn’t limited to that year. Kirkwood won titles in nearly every series he entered: the 2017 Formula 4 United States championship, the 2018 F3 Americas championship and USF2000 title, and the 2019 USF Pro 2000 championship. After sitting out 2020 due to COVID restrictions, he captured his fifth different championship in as many racing divisions in 2021.
Andretti Global held a contractual option on Kirkwood through Nov. 1, 2021. But with its Formula One project stalled and all four of its NTT INDYCAR SERIES seats filled, there was no room for Kirkwood in the lineup. A return to INDY NXT wasn’t a viable option, so Andretti loaned him to AJ Foyt Racing for the 2022 season, when he drove the No. 14 Chevrolet.
The results weren’t stellar. Kirkwood finished 24th in the standings, with a best race result of 10th. Fourteen of his 17 starts ended 17th or worse. But the experience proved invaluable.
Over the five years prior to joining the INDYCAR SERIES, Kirkwood won 55 of his 87 junior formula races. That dominance, he later admits, came with a downside because he didn’t have many opportunities to race in traffic or develop key skills like overtaking and adapting to strategy.
“It’s nice to have that transition year where you’re able to hone in on your skills and learn everything,” Kirkwood said.
“I needed a year to learn all the different things about INDYCAR that you don’t learn in junior formulas. The biggest thing is pit stops and strategy and having two different types of tires. Those are way different than anything I’ve done.”
Another critical lesson: understanding how different teams and manufacturers operate.
“I learned a lot of things at Foyt that I might have not learned at Andretti, given that it is a different engine manufacturer, a different team, they run completely different setups, you get different feels from different things,” he said.
“There’s a massive learning curve to that. It was crucial for my longevity in the sport. The amount that I’ve learned across both organizations has been crucial. Maybe having some information and some dynamics from that organization, carrying it into a new organization, just accelerates that learning curve.
“In many ways, it was very positive.”
That foundation helped Kirkwood emerge as one of the INDYCAR SERIES’ rising stars.
In just his third race with Andretti in 2023, Kirkwood earned his maiden victory in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He added another victory later that year on the streets of Nashville.
Although the 2024 season was winless, Kirkwood made significant strides in consistency, growing from two to five top-five finishes, seven to 13 top-10s and climbing from 11th to seventh in the championship standings.
His progress continued into 2025.
Kirkwood, 26, has returned to victory lane three times, winning on the streets of Long Beach and Detroit, plus earning his first oval win at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Through 14 races, he’s posted five top-five finishes and nine top-10s.
Despite a rough July, he enters the BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI on Sunday, Aug. 10 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), sitting fourth in the championship.
The recent dip in form hasn’t shaken Kirkwood’s belief in the season or the team.
“I’m just proud that this team has had a lot of progression over the years I’ve been with the team,” Kirkwood said. “First year, we got our first two wins, but ultimately it wasn’t that great of a championship run. Second year in, didn’t get any wins, but a much better championship run. We were very consistent. Colton (Herta) finished second in the championship last year.
“This year, it was looking a lot better. We’ve fallen back some points now, but as long as we have progression, we keep moving forward, winning races, I think it’s a huge positive.
“Hopefully, if we don’t come up with a great result in the championship this season, we’ll take this momentum that we’ve had through the first, what, 10 or 11 or 12 races and carry that into next season and hopefully just keep progressing like we have the past couple years.”