Kyle Kirkwood has secured his place on the IndyCar grid for 2024 and beyond after signing a new multi-year contract with Andretti.
The team fielded four full-time cars this season but have trimmed their entry to three for 2024. Colton Herta and Kirkwood go into their fifth and second seasons with Andretti respectively, while Marcus Ericsson joins from Chip Ganassi Racing.Kirkwood first raced for Andretti in 2021, when he won the Indy Nxt title with the team. That provided him with a scholarship to step up to IndyCar and he made the move with AJ Foyt Racing. Tenth place in Long Beach was the best result of his rookie season, and just six races into his IndyCar career he was announced as joining Andretti for 2023.
The team switch worked well for Kirkwood, as he scored almost twice as many points as he had the year before and won from pole in Long Beach just three races into the campaign. Later in the year he picked up a fastest lap in Detroit, then took a second win in Nashville. Kirkwood finished 11th in the championship standings, four points shy of Herta and comfortably ahead of his two other full-time team-mates.
“I am thrilled to be able to continue with Andretti Global for years to come. We have built something special within the team this year and I’m excited to see what we can do next season in the number 27 AutoNation Honda,” said Kirkwood.
“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.”
Andretti’s new contract with Kirkwood ties him to the team until at least the end of the 2025 season. Ericsson will also be with the team for at least the next two years, while Herta is signed through to 2027.
Team chairman Michael Andretti said “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 IndyCar series.
“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 and Marcus will only strengthen the continuity we’ve been looking for in our IndyCar programme.”
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Brian (@bealzbob)
26th September 2023, 16:59
Of them all, he’s the one I want to see move to F1.