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Jupiter's Kyle Kirkwood will be reunited with Andretti Autosport in 2023

holly cain
·3 min read

Only days after an inspired and impressive run in one of the biggest races in the world, the Indianapolis 500, Jupiter’s Kyle Kirkwood has been named to take over a seat for the NTT IndyCar Series champion Andretti Autosport team in 2023, the Andretti team announced Wednesday.

Kirkwood, 23, who won the Indy Lights championship with Andretti Autosport in 2021 and is currently competing as a 2022 IndyCar Series rookie for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, will rejoin the Andretti team next year driving the No. 27 AutoNation Honda.

“Andretti Autosport is a place I’ve called home for years past and I have truly felt like family,’’ Kirkwood said. “I have a ton of loyalty to the team and it means a lot to have Michael and the Andretti team offer me this opportunity.

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“AutoNation has been doing great work in raising awareness and funding for cancer research. I’m honored to Drive Pink next season.’’

Kirkwood’s last season (2021) as an Andretti driver was a dominant campaign. He won half of the Indy Lights Series season’s races — 10 of 20 — and was on the podium another four times. He led 336 of the year’s 687 total race laps (49%) with an average finish of 2.9 en route to the championship.

And Kirkwood remains the only driver to win titles in all three of IndyCar’s “feeder” or training series leading into the IndyCar ranks.

Kyle Kirkwood takes a photo with a fan during practice on May 19 for the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kyle Kirkwood takes a photo with a fan during practice on May 19 for the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In his rookie IndyCar season, Kirkwood has led five laps (at Texas) and posted a best finish of 10th place at Long Beach, California. He was one of the top performers in his Indy 500 debut on Sunday — finishing 17th after starting 28th.  Only one of the seven rookies (David Malukas,16th) finished better.

“We really enjoyed having Kyle as part of our Indy Lights team and he’s off to a strong start in IndyCar,’’ Andretti Autosport Chairman and CEO Michael Andretti said.

“I think he’ll bring a fresh perspective and will be competitive. We are looking forward to helping him continue his career growth.’’

Kirkwood will be filling the seat currently occupied by 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi, who has seven wins with Andretti Autosport — including that Indy trophy — and finished second (2018) and third (2019) in the IndyCar championship. Rossi’s plans are yet to be formally announced. However, he is widely expected to sign with the Arrow McLaren SP team for 2023.

Kyle Kirkwood comes out of a turn during Sunday's Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he finished 17th.
Kyle Kirkwood comes out of a turn during Sunday's Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he finished 17th.

Kirkwood will be teamed at Andretti Autosport in 2023 with Belleair resident Colton Herta, former Formula One driver Romain Grosjean and Miami driver Devlin Defrancesco.

“I have worked extremely hard this season and will continue to work harder every day for the A.J. Foyt team,’’ Kirkwood said. “I want to thank the entire team at A.J. Foyt Racing for giving me the opportunity to compete in the NTT IndyCar Series. The group on the No. 14 car have been incredible and I am beyond grateful to them for all the amazing experiences we have been able to share together so far this season.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Autosport team for 2023 NTT IndyCar Series