Kyle Kirkwood closed out his 2026 IndyCar Series campaign on a high note, driving from sixth on the grid to a runner-up finish behind Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin in the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The strong drive cemented a career-best second-place finish in the championship standings for the 27-year-old Florida native.
Kirkwood, driving the #27 Andretti Global Honda, concluded the 18-race season with 545 points, placing 86 points behind champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing. Over the course of the year, Kirkwood led Andretti Global's **** le challenge, recording two wins, six podiums, 10 top-fives, 15 top-10s, and one pole position.
Reflecting on the finale, Kirkwood acknowledged that points strategy dictated his approach late in the race.
"Yeah, it was," Kirkwood said regarding securing second in the championship. "Yeah, we played it a little bit safer than I might have hoped for the last race of the season, but we had to for the championship. We made all the decisions based on that. Probably could have had a go at Scottie (Scott McLaughlin) at the end on the first few laps on reds. The number one goal was to make the tires last. That's what we did. Came home with a second, which is something to be proud of."
#second #race #yeah
The strong drive cemented a career-best second-place finish in the championship standings for the 27-year-old Florida native.
Kirkwood, driving the #27 Andretti Global Honda, concluded the 18-race season with 545 points, placing 86 points behind champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing. Over the course of the year, Kirkwood led Andretti Global's **** le challenge, recording two wins, six podiums, 10 top-fives, 15 top-10s, and one pole position.
Reflecting on the finale, Kirkwood acknowledged that points strategy dictated his approach late in the race.
"Yeah, it was," Kirkwood said regarding securing second in the championship. "Yeah, we played it a little bit safer than I might have hoped for the last race of the season, but we had to for the championship. We made all the decisions based on that. Probably could have had a go at Scottie (Scott McLaughlin) at the end on the first few laps on reds. The number one goal was to make the tires last. That's what we did. Came home with a second, which is something to be proud of."
#second #race #yeah
9 days ago
