ST. PETERSBURG — Followers waited in a line so long as a soccer subject, beneath a heat Florida solar alongside the St. Petersburg downtown waterfront to satisfy their favourite NTT IndyCar Collection drivers Friday afternoon.
The autograph session featured the complete lineup of racers competing in Sunday’s season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – together with Jupiter’s Kyle Kirkwood, who greeted followers, autographed pictures and gratefully accepted phrases of encouragement from his supporters.
“I simply really feel he’s very likable and I really like his Florida way of life and the way he’s at all times posting fishing footage and looks as if he can be a enjoyable man to hang around with,’’ New Jersey fan Roy Mutalik, 34, stated of Kirkwood.
“And I really like watching him on monitor, clearly. I feel he’s very gifted and at all times has a very good shot at successful, He’s one of many youthful guys and I’d like to see him do nicely.’’
“I’d wait an hour simply for his autograph, ‘’ Mutalik stated smiling, “I’d wait some time longer if I may go fishing with him.’’
Kirkwood, sporting a beard now, signed all kinds of photographs and diecast vehicles and posed for selfies. He ought to get used to the ever-rising appreciation degree. The 26-year previous Floridian has been a champion in each degree of open-wheel racing from Method Fords to Indy Lights (Indy NXT) and now three years right into a seat at one of the vital embellished organizations within the sport – Andretti World – expectations are understandably excessive in IndyCar.
Final yr Kirkwood, who drives the No. 27 Andretti World Honda, turned in a profession yr statistically in laps led (121), most laps led in a single race (67 at Nashville), common beginning place (10.1), common ending place (8.7), and most significantly rating within the championship standings (seventh).
Though he didn’t reply his two-win 2023 season with a victory, he earned 5 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 17 races with a finest displaying of runner-up at Toronto.
“In racing it’s irritating except you’re successful every little thing, to be sincere,’’ Kirkwood allowed. “However there have been plenty of positives to remove.
“It was a very good season from the standpoint that we had plenty of consistency. We completed a lot greater up within the championship and sort of gave ourselves a possibility [to win] within the closing levels of the yr.
“Should you look again on the final couple years, you clearly see the 2 wins that got here in 2023, however what lots of people don’t notice is that out of these two wins, we gave ourselves solely two alternatives to win and occurred to capitalize on each of them.
“Final yr, we gave ourselves no less than 5 alternatives to win however didn’t capitalize on any of them. “
Whereas the crew’s principal, world-renowned driver Michael Andretti, has stepped again from the day-to-day administration duties of the crew that bears his title, Andretti World stays a perpetual race favourite.
Kirkwood’s teammate, 2021 St. Petersburg race winner Colton Herta gained a pair of races in 2024 and is coming off a profession finest runner-up displaying within the championship. Their teammate, Sweden’s Marcus Ericksson gained at St. Pete in 2023 together with his former crew and can be a former Indianapolis 500 winner (2022).
The expertise potential bodes nicely for Kirkwood, who in two IndyCar seasons with the crew has completely settled in and is able to produce the identical sort of daring headlines.
“It’s not as disturbing I might say, you simply perceive the processes much more,’’ Kirkwood stated of his consolation degree now with one of the vital high-profile groups within the sport.
“You perceive the cadence and also you’re not at all times on a knife’s edge anymore with every little thing that you just do. You sort of simply get the rhythm and you are feeling much more comfy once you get into the automotive.
“You begin to click on with everybody after a pair years. It simply makes issues simpler generally.”
Now to translate that total crew expectation into the 1.8-mile 14-turn course across the streets of downtown St. Pete. Kirkwood’s earlier finest displaying (tenth) in three IndyCar begins in his house state, got here final yr. He gained from pole place, and led each single lap, competing within the Indy Lights Collection right here in 2021.
“I really like St. Pete,’’ Kirkwood stated. “I’m at all times excited to race right here however have by no means really had good races right here previously 3 times I’ve been right here in IndyCar. It’s one in all my favourite tracks however for some cause I simply haven’t performed that nicely so it might be good to have one other alternative at it.
“We’ve certified nicely right here previously however haven’t actually had good races so hope to show that round as a result of it’s a race I actually get pleasure from. It’s not like different tracks.
“I at all times look ahead to coming right here.’
Sunday’s raceFirestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg12:29 p.m., Downtown St. PetersburgTV: FOX
