Kyle Kirkwood, the 26-year-old Andretti Global driver, recently won the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway, starting from 10th position and finishing first with an average lap speed of 135.939 mph, narrowly beating Pato O’Ward by 0.5398 seconds. This victory marked Kirkwood’s fifth career win, his third win of the 2025 season, and his first-ever win on an oval track.
After the race, during a press conference, Kirkwood was informed that he was close to surpassing Alex Palou’s record for most wins in the 2025 IndyCar season. However, Kirkwood stated that beating Palou’s win record is not his priority; instead, his focus is simply on beating Palou in competition.
Despite Kirkwood’s strong performance this season, the championship standings show a contrast between him and Palou. Alex Palou currently leads the championship, while Kirkwood is in third place with 260 points, just two points behind Pato O’Ward, who is second. Palou has five wins this season compared to Kirkwood’s three. Kirkwood’s recent win has cut Palou’s once seemingly insurmountable points lead, making the championship fight more competitive.
Kirkwood’s 2025 season has been impressive overall. He qualified 9th and finished 5th in the season opener at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2. He then won the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix after qualifying third, marking his second victory of the season before his recent oval win at St. Louis.
In addition to his race results, Kirkwood spoke candidly about racing tactics during an appearance on the SpeedStreet podcast, hosted by IndyCar drivers Conor Daly and Chase Holden. He discussed the challenges of racing on narrow tracks like Detroit, where risky moves can easily lead to collisions. Kirkwood criticized IndyCar race control for allowing certain aggressive maneuvers that result in drivers taking each other out, a practice he personally disagrees with.
Honda has had a dominant start to the 2025 IndyCar season, with Kirkwood’s recent win marking Honda’s eighth consecutive victory. This streak gives Honda a significant lead in the manufacturers’ championship over Chevrolet, with a 148-point advantage (723 to 575).
In summary, Kyle Kirkwood is having a standout 2025 IndyCar season with multiple wins, including his first oval victory, and is closing in on championship leader Alex Palou. However, Kirkwood prioritizes competing directly with Palou over breaking his win record. He also openly critiques some race control decisions regarding aggressive driving tactics on narrow circuits.