IndyCar News: Spire Motorsports' Dan Towriss supports Andretti Global with Chili's addition to the lineup

Andretti Global has brought on a new sponsor, Chili's Grill & Bar, for Kyle Kirkwood's No. 27 car for the IndyCar season opener at St. Peterburg on March 2. The team made the official announcement on Tuesday (Jan. 14), via an online press release.

This move is the second big sponsorship activity by the US-based casual dining chain. In 2024, Chili's sponsored Corey LaJoie's No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevy at the Daytona 500. This new partnership with Andretti Global comes as a result of the team being owned by TWG Global, the same group that owns Spire Motorsports. Dan Towriss is the CEO of TWG Global.

Chili's chief marketing officer, George Felix was quite optimistic about the sponsorship and said (via Andretti Global):

"When the opportunity to expand our motorsports program in 2025 with Andretti and Kyle Kirkwood came up, we didn’t need much convincing. We teamed up with Spire Motorsports last year because we had a strong belief that race fans are also Chili's fans, and that was confirmed time and time again.

"Coupling our 50-year legacy with an unmatched name like Andretti is an ideal way to expand our racing footprint this year, and we can’t wait to invite more race fans to Chili’s this year."

Andretti chief commercial officer Doug Bresnahan also expressed his excitement for this new development. He was glad Chili's trusted them with the sponsorship after making a big name in NASCAR.

"It’s great to have Chili’s support of Kyle’s entry for the season-opening race in St. Petersburg. As a new sponsor with our IndyCar program, I’m excited to see the impact of the partnership with our fans as well as Chili’s customers and employees. Chili’s has established a strong presence in motorsports through their NASCAR partnership, and we are excited to expand their exposure within the sport of IndyCar."

Another common link between Spire and Andretti is veteran NASCAR executive Doug Duchardt. He was Spire Motorsports' President for 2023 and 2024 before joining Andretti Global in December 2024 in the same position. Duchardt's move came in the aftermath of Michael Andretti giving up ownership of his namesake organization.

As per Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, Chili's will also continue its partnership with Spire Motorsports in 2025.

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Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood 'honored' to represent Chili's at St. Petersburg

Kyle Kirkwood, INDYCAR Series The 107th Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Kyle Kirkwood had a career-best IndyCar season in 2024 in his second year for Andretti Global. Though he couldn't win any race as he did in 2023 (two wins), he finished 7th in the standings, four places higher.

In Andretti's press release about the Chili's partnership, the No. 27 driver spoke highly about the food chain, expecting to take his third career win with them by his side.

"It’s a true honor to represent Chili’s for the first race of the season. There’s immense excitement within our team to have Chili’s on board. We all love Chili’s — especially their chips and salsa! 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for Andretti Global, and I look forward to carrying Chili’s along to victory in St. Petersburg," the 26-year-old said.

Kirkwood's involvement with the American team goes back to his Indy Lights (now Indy NXT) season in 2021, which he dominantly won with 10 victories in 20 races.