Jupiter's Kyle Kirkwood proving he belongs in 2023 NTT IndyCar Series but seeks consistency

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Kyle Kirkwood has been a regular on the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season highlight reel — hoisting his first career trophy in Long Beach, California, this spring and then soaring high on the podium top step again this month at Nashville. It's a resounding reminder of what made him one of the most decorated champions in America’s junior open-wheel ranks just a couple of years ago.

From the time the 24-year-old Jupiter resident signed with Andretti Autosport for the 2023 season, there were immediate high expectations — from Kirkwood and from the team. And with two races remaining on this season’s schedule, it’s safe to say the highly regarded racer has delivered as expected even if he still grades himself a little more critically.

"I think the outside perception is pretty good given that I’ve won two races and I’m ahead of my teammates in points and I’m the only driver on Andretti to win two races, that’s what everyone else is saying," Kirkwood concedes, "But quite honestly, there’s been too many incidents whether it’s my fault or someone else’s that something’s happened so I would tend to grade myself less than what people would expect."

Kirkwood is the reason those expectations are so high. The only driver in history to win a championship in every American junior open-wheel category en route to a firm position competing in the IndyCar series, Kirkwood has worked hard to make it to the big time.

As his mom, Peggy, shares about Kirkwood’s youthful passions, it was going to be either soccer or auto racing to pursue. And clearly, his choice was spot-on.

Unfailingly polite, quick with a smile and well-regarded as one of the "nice guys" in the sport, Kirkwood has proven nice guys can finish first. He has previously. He does now. And by all accounts, he will for years to come.

Kirkwood earns position based on performance, merit

Kirkwood possesses so much natural talent that he almost makes his accomplishments look easy. But he works hard at his craft and always has — one of the few drivers to earn a position among the sport’s elite based on performance and merit. Earn being the operative word in a sport that often includes competitors who have sometimes written a check to secure a place on the starting grid.

In his two years at the sport’s highest level, Kirkwood has experienced the difference between competing for a budget-conscious team such as A.J. Foyt Enterprises, where he spent his rookie IndyCar season in 2022 — compared with his campaign this season reunited with four-time series championship Andretti Autosport. He's now driving the No. 27 AutoNation Honda for the same team he was with when he won the 2021 Indy Lights title.

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

“It’s been really good and there’s a good aura within the team, especially knowing how fast we’ve been at these races," Kirkwood said. “Hopefully this is kind of the turning point where things start clicking for us and we stop getting caught in dumb incidents and we’re consistently at the front because it’s a little bit weird. I only have two top-fives in IndyCar and both of them are wins."

Kirkwood added another top-10 over the weekend in the Gallagher Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course — his ninth-place showing best among the Andretti contingent and his sixth top-10 of the season. He is ranked ninth in the championship standings, only 18 points behind eighth-place Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard. Of the remaining 2023 races, he feels most confident with the road-course races at Portland, Oregon, and Laguna Seca (Monterey, California).

Even with title-winning precedent on his resume, Kirkwood is quick to give props to his current race strategist Bryan Herta — father of Kirkwood’s good friend and Andretti Autosport teammate Colton Herta — for leading him to success this season. Bryan Herta was a winning IndyCar driver and has owned a pair of Indianapolis 500-winning race cars. His Bryan Herta Autosport team currently fields a multicar championship effort in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series

As with Kirkwood, Herta is a more reserved personality, renowned for his skill both behind the steering wheel and atop the team box in pit lane. His praise for Kirkwood is telling. He is proud of what the two have accomplished — Herta partnered with Kirkwood starting with the second race of the season (at Texas) — but careful not to seem fully satisfied. Yet.

It’s exactly the competitive instinct that helped Herta to succeed in driving an IndyCar and leading an IndyCar team.

“Kyle’s just so easy to work with," Herta said. “He’s fast and I enjoy working with him. And two wins have been amazing. We’ve had some missed opportunities we need to improve on for next year though. The wins are nice, but the focus is more on, how can we get better, to try to have that level of performance week in and week out.

“He’s fast," Herta says, allowing a smile. “You don’t win that many races and championships that he has getting here (to the IndyCar Series) and then win races at this level without being fast. That’s No. 1.

“Also, I’d add smart to that. Kyle’s able to process a lot of information. He understands what he’s being told and when to push and when to save tires or fuel. Having an understanding of how to manage your race is really important, and for as little experience as he has at this level, he is really good at that."

And it all bodes well for Kirkwood, widely considered a future champion.

Kirkwood now a homeowner in Jupiter

As he works toward that, Kirkwood is still firmly planted in his South Florida roots, surrounded and supported by his family and friends. He recently became a first-time homeowner, purchasing a house in Jupiter, and his social media posts reflect his lifelong love of surfing and being on the water.

For someone so mellow out of the car, Kirkwood has proven where high ambition, abundant talent and the right frame of mind can take you. And right now in IndyCar, that’s up. The highest step on a winner’s podium, the peak of attitude and aptitude.

It’s a place Kirkwood feels comfortable.

“We just need to maximize everything, to work and hone in on everything and get the team jelling together really, really well," Kirkwood said. “That’s obviously been a thing for me coming into a new group with a new crew.

“As time progresses and you start getting good results, everyone starts to jell even better and you’re starting to see that with us a little more. We’re continuing down that path and setting up for the last few races, looking toward a championship for next year.

“In doing so, we need to look like championship contenders for the rest of this year, too. We just need things to start clicking and we’ll be sailing away."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Kyle Kirkwood has won twice with Andretti Autosport in 2023 IndyCar Series