Kyle Kirkwood has inked a multi-year contract extension to remain with Andretti Global in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, beginning in 2024.
The news comes as the 24-year-old Kirkwood from Jupiter, Florida, is coming off his second full-time campaign in the IndyCar Series and first with Andretti, where he notched his first two career victories in the series, the first occurring in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach at the Streets of Long Beach, California, in April and the second occurring in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Street Circuit in August. Coupled with five additional results in the top 10, Kirkwood finished in 11th place in this year’s driver’s standings with 352 points.
“I am thrilled to be able to continue with Andretti Global for years to come,” Kirkwood said. “We have built something special within the team this year and I’m excited to see what we can do next season in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda. It’s fantastic that I will now have the opportunity to work with the same group – it’s a luxury I haven’t had the privilege of having since my karting days. Now we can put our heads down and fully focus on winning races and becoming a strong Championship contender. I have such a huge respect for this team and it will be an honor to continue to call myself an INDYCAR driver for Andretti Global.”
Kirkwood, whose racing career started with karts, is the first competitor to win a championship across every Road to Indy series, a program that provides a scholarship-funded path for aspiring competitors to compete in IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500. He accomplished this feat by winning the U.S. F2000 National Championship in 2018, the Indy Pro 2000 Championship in 2019 and the Indy Lights Championshp in 2021. He also recorded the Formula 4 United States Championship in 2017.
A year after winning the Indy Lights title with Andretti Global, Kirkwood joined A.J. Foyt Enterprises for his first full-time stint in the IndyCar Series in 2022. During the season, his best on-track result was a 10th-place run at the Streets of Long Beach. He concluded the season with an average-finishing result of 20.2 and a 24th-place finish in the final standings with 183 points before joining Andretti Global.
Through 34 career starts in the IndyCar Series, Kirkwood has achieved two victories, two podiums, one pole, 93 laps led and an average-finishing result of 16.6.
With the announcement, Kirkwood becomes the third Andretti Global competitor to be locked into a multi-year contract with the organization alongside teammates Colton Herta, whose contract runs through 2027, and Marcus Ericsson, who joins Andretti after spending thre previous four seasons at Chip Ganassi Racing.
“Kyle’s dedication and talent have been instrumental in our team’s success this past season, and he has continued to show that he has what it takes to compete at the highest level in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” Michael Andretti, Andretti Global CEO & Chairman, added. “Our goal has always been to consistently compete for wins and Championships and we felt that solidifying Kyle’s future at Andretti was key to making that happen. Bringing Kyle into the multi-year plans along with Colton [Herta] and Marcus [Ericsson] will only strengthen the continuity we’ve been looking for in our INDYCAR program.”
With his future plans set, Kirkwood and Andretti Global will return to action at the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, on March 10, 2024, for the start of a new NTT INDYCAR season.
