Kirkwood Aims for Championship Surge in IndyCar
Kyle Kirkwood is riding a wave of momentum in the IndyCar Series following an impressive back-to-back victory streak at Detroit and World Wide Technology Raceway, complemented by his earlier win at Long Beach. As he heads into the upcoming race at Road America, Kirkwood seeks to continue this upward trajectory, narrowing his championship deficit to 75 points behind leader Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing.
Just weeks ago, Kirkwood faced a daunting 150-point gap after being officially relegated in the Indianapolis 500 results due to violations involving modified car parts. Nevertheless, two solid recent performances have positioned him within striking distance of the championship lead with nine races remaining.
“We’ve had two good races and Palou had two races that weren’t,” Kirkwood stated to RACER. He emphasized the importance of capitalizing on past performances, particularly given Ganassi’s typical strategies at specific tracks. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that we’re focused on the championship at the moment, because 75 points is still a long way to go,” he added, indicating a focus on winning races over championship speculation.
Kirkwood’s team, Andretti Global, is currently the second-best in the series, bolstered by teammate Colton Herta’s recent performances alongside his own. Strengthened by organizational changes under team leader Dan Towriss, Kirkwood noted the growing cohesion within the team, contributing to improved performance throughout the season.
“There’s two major factors, those being development – just getting our cars better – but then also execution wise,” Kirkwood explained. He praised the strategic guidance provided by Bryan Herta and highlighted enhanced car performance and execution across all racing aspects as pivotal to their current success.
Looking ahead, Kirkwood identifies the importance of the short oval races, particularly Iowa, Milwaukee, and Nashville, as potential key turning points to further close the gap to Palou. “Those are where we really need to capitalize, along with the upcoming road courses,” he stated, affirming his confidence in the team’s ability to perform at these venues.
With an emerging competitive edge and a clear strategy in place, Kirkwood positions himself as a formidable contender in the race for the IndyCar championship.
