Jupiter's Kyle Kirkwood eager to feature for AJ Foyt Racing in the IndyCar Series

JUPITER – Kyle Kirkwood knows a thing or two about cars and a lot about winning, skills that have pushed the 23-year-old Jupiter native to a historic new racing home.

Armed with a prolific young career, Kirkwood will be racing in a full-time role with AJ Foyt Racing in the team’s flagship No. 14 Chevrolet this season. The IndyCar Series begins on Feb. 27 in St. Petersburg.

Kirkwood has won the championship in every season he’s participated in since 2017, including the USF2000 title in 2018 and the Indy Pro 2000 title in 2019.

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Most recently, Kirkwood became Indy Lights champion in 2021, winning a title at the highest stage below the prestigious IndyCar Series.

“I feel very prepared for IndyCar,” Kirkwood said. “There’s a lot of drivers that have come out of the position that I’m in currently and have done really well. Patricio O’Ward, Colton Herta, Rinus VeeKay, Oliver Askew.”

Kirkwood also races for Vasser Sullivan’s team as part of the Endurance Cup Championship Series, which included this weekend’s Rolex 24 in Daytona.

A typical, but unfamiliar start

Despite a career that has already included a number of highlight victories, Kirkwood does not come from a family of any racing experience.

The driver said his first experience with racing was similar to many current champions – in a kart, something his parents bought him and his brothers for a Christmas present when he was just five years old.

For his brothers, it was a fun experience; for Kyle; it stirred what would become a lasting passion.

“It’s honestly before I can really even remember,” Kirwood said of the first time he stepped into that kart. “But I just know I loved it.

“Once I got to a certain point where I was winning races and doing quite well, some people mentioned to my parents, ‘Hey, look, this is where people like Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, some of the biggest names in American auto sports come from.”

Kirkwood's 'turning point'

While his family may lack the knowledge of Kirkwood’s new world, their support was always present. But at some point, every racer needs a little help to keep going.

For Kirkwood, that moment came in the form of a scholarship from A.J. Allmendinger, who was driving for Team Penske in NASCAR.

Kirkwood was just 13 years old at the time.

“I had a Shell-Pennzoil livery on my car, which was a really prestigious thing, I thought when I was younger – and it definitely was,” he said.

Kirkwood described that scholarship as perhaps the most influential moment in his early racing days.

“That was a big turning point for me, because at the time, my family was at a point where they couldn’t keep funding this whole thing,” he said. “At a certain point, you need to make a career out of it. That was a big turning point in my career, getting a scholarship from A.J. Allmendinger and being represented by such a big brand.”

From there, he says everything took off in the right direction – and ‘taking off’ can certainly be taken literally.

He joined a unique and talented team at AJ Foyt Racing, which includes Dalton Kellett and Tatiana Calderon, who is the first female racer to be a part of the team.

“She comes from a very different background racing over in Europe,” Kirkwood said. “We did the test together at Sebring and she was right at the pace. It’s been phenomenal. She’s a great teammate and has a great feel for the car already.”

Between new additions Kirkwood and Calderon, AJ Foyt Racing will look to compete for its first title since 2013.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter's Kyle Kirkwood eager to feature for AJ Foyt Racing in IndyCar