Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Judging from his laid-back personality, you’d never guess that Kyle Kirkwood is one of the biggest stars in IndyCar racing today.
When he’s not driving over 230 miles per hour around the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 27-year-old Floridian is typically found on the water, whether it be surfing, fishing, or just out on the boat.
“I’m really just a beach bum, and I tend to be decent at driving cars,” he says of himself.
Kirkwood speaks in a quiet, measured tone, not unlike the man who has reigned over the series for the last three seasons, Chip Ganassi Racing star Alex Palou.
But after winning three times a year ago and finishing fourth in the point standings, Kirkwood has upped his game yet again in 2026 and looks like the biggest threat to Palou’s supremacy in the series.
Entering the 110th running of the Indy 500, he sits second in the standings, just 27 points adrift of Palou, and has just one finish outside of the top five through six races.
Kyle Kirkwood Isn’t Satisfied With Second Place
While Kirkwood’s breakout season a year ago put him fully on the radar of IndyCar fans across the globe, he’s not just satisfied with trying to chase down Palou. He wants the top spot.
“We’re getting better, but there’s still some work to be done,” Kirkwood told BroBible in an exclusive interview. “We’re second in the points, 27 points behind. We were almost gifted a win this past weekend, and we kind of dropped the ball a little bit on that. So there are some things we can clean up. At the end of the day, we’re having a really good start to our season, better than I’ve ever had, but it can always be better.
Sure, Kirkwood is optimistic. But he’s also realistic. Palou, who has won four of the last five IndyCar championships, has set the bar at an astronomically high rate. That means that for Kirkwood, every single detail matters if he hopes to chase him down.
“The 10 car doesn’t make mistakes,” Kirkwood said of Palou and his team. “And we’ve had some mistakes, whether it’s on pit road, it’s on strategy, it’s me and driving. We’re still having some of those mistakes, and that has to be cleaned up for us to have a good shot at winning the championship. Because Alex has just set the bar so so high for all of us.”
Kyle Kirkwood Has A Long History Of Heartbreak At The Indy 500
While the Indy 500 is the most prestigious race on the series schedule, and has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for Kirkwood’s team, Andretti Global, with five wins at the track, it hasn’t been kind to Kirkwood.
In four prior starts in the Indy 500, Kirkwood has a best finish of seventh, and is remembered by most for a scary crash at the track in 2023.
“Quite honestly, it’s a lot of execution,” Kirkwood said of his past troubles at the track. “We put ourselves in positions the last couple of years to win this race, and ultimately, things have happened that are in our control, probably, right?
“You look at the one crash that I had that still plays on highlight reels everywhere, where I flip and I slide on my lid for half a mile, and the tire goes over the fence?
“Ultimately, we put ourselves in that position because we made some mistakes. We were running at the front. We stopped there. We cycled to ninth, which we shouldn’t have, and we put ourselves in that position. So we’ve got to execute across the board: strategy, pit stops, my driving, qualifying, everything has to go right.”
Fighting An Uphill Battle In 2026
Unfortunately for Kirkwood, the qualifying aspect has already proved troublesome. He’ll roll off in the 27th starting spot after a difficult session for the entire Andretti team. Meanwhile, Palou finds himself starting from the top spot.
But it’s not the first time Kirkwood has had to dig himself out of a hole. In fact, it’s been a running theme for much of the 2026 season. And, thus far, he’s answered the bell each time.
The Indy 500 might prove to be a tougher test. There are more cars, more chaos, and more opportunity for mistakes. But Kirkwood is a cool customer. And there’s no reason to believe that when the checkered flag flies, he won’t be exactly where he’s been all season, competing for the victory.