Kyle Kirkwood explains his ‘completely different mindset’ forged by championship battles in his early years

Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood recently spoke about his different mindset regarding winning races. Kirkwood secured victory in the race on Sunday at the ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach, held on April 13.

The 26-year-old secured the victory after starting the race from pole position. Kirkwood maintained his composure even while under pressure from three-time champion Alex Palou. The American driver executed a spectacular race, utilizing tire management and race strategy to end Palou's streak of race wins.

Post the race, in a conversation with IndyCar staff writer Curt Cavin, Kirkwood discussed how winning races feels different.

“When I was younger (in junior categories), all I did was win championships,” he said. “It's a different sensation when you're fighting kind of for those (wins) – even top-five (finishes). It’s a completely different mindset." He said.

The American driver further said the recent race reminded him of when he used to compete in the lower series of IndyCar.

“Races like (Sunday’s) are more what I was used to when I was in the lower series, when you're not fighting people front and back. You kind of dictate the pace of the race, and you understand the strategy. You just have to think about it, and you're kind of in control. Those were what I love.

Kyle Kirkwood led 46 Laps of the race and became the first driver to win from the pole in the 2025 season so far.

In 2017, the American driver joined Cape Motorsports and secured the USF 2000 championship. He also won the Indy NXT by Firestone title in 2021 with Andretti Global. Subsequently, Andretti announced him as their IndyCar driver for the 2023 season, replacing Alexander Rossi. He had previously won at the Long Beach track during the 2023 season, which also marked his maiden series victory.

With the win on Sunday, Kyle Kirkwood has now moved to second place in the drivers championship, making himself known as one of the possible contenders for the championship fight this season.

---

Kyle Kirkwood expresses his feelings after second Long Beach Grand Prix win.

Kyle Kirkwood won the Long Beach Grand Prix on Sunday, April 13, marking his first race win of the 2025 season. He credited his team for a dominant weekend.

The #27 car driver started on the pole for the 50th anniversary ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach with his teammate Colton Herta in second place to claim an Andretti front-row lockout. However, right behind him was the three-time champion Alex Palou. The American driver knew the challenge that awaited him during the race.

Despite pressure from Palou, Kirkwood, aided by excellent tire management and team strategy, successfully kept the Spaniard behind. During his post-race interview with FOX, Kirkwood said:

"What a great day. We controlled the race from, even from practice, right? We thought we were in control. Really good qualifying, amazing race, amazing strategy, but it was just execution all across the board that won us the race here today." (via Fox)

He later admitted that Palou had a very decent chance to snatch the win.

"If Palou was in front, he would have beat us for sure. This was a track position race here today without any yellows. Hats off to Honda and Andretti guys...." Kirkwood said.

With this win, Kyle Kirkwood ended his 23-race winless streak.