After the team was unable to find a space for its 2021 Indy Lights champion in its four-car line-up in ’22, Kirkwood spent his rookie IndyCar season at AJ Foyt Racing. Although showing plenty of potential, the rookie was involved in too many incidents, something he admitted before the start of this year was a result of over-driving. He then looked highly impressive in preseason testing at Thermal Club for Michael Andretti’s team as the replacement for Alexander Rossi, and stated that he is savoring the handling characteristics of his new car.
While Kirkwood’s weekend in the opening round of the 2023 season at St. Petersburg may be best remembered for his leap over the stricken cars of Rinus VeeKay and Jack Harvey, the fact that he beat two Penskes and three Ganassi cars to get into the Firestone Fast Six in qualifying showed his latent potential. Unfortunately, a crash in the Fast Six segment confined his efforts, but Edwards isn’t surprised to see the 2021 Indy Lights champ’s basic pace.
