Kyle Kirkwood finished the 2024 IndyCar as the highest-placed driver without a victory, despite claiming five top-five finishes.
For all his second place at Toronto was pleasing, the most encouraging part of the year may have come right at the end.
His pole position in the Nashville finale indicates that he may be on a successful path toward solving one of his great IndyCar weaknesses.
Kirkwood will remain with Andretti for 2025, so there will be an opportunity to see whether his performance was more than a one-off.
Kyle Kirkwood says pole position was ‘biggest thing’ of 2024
His teammate Colton Herta went on to win the race in Nashville, and take second place in the drivers’ championship.
He didn’t quite have enough race pace and the strategy also didn’t fall his way, meaning he ended up fourth – which is still a good overall result.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, he discussed where he has been criticised for below-par pace so far in his IndyCar career.
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“You know, I tell you this is potentially the biggest thing I take from this season is this race right here (in Nashville),”
“Everybody knows I’ve been good at street courses, everybody knows I’ve been decent at road courses; where people question my abilities have been at ovals — maybe not the (Indy) 500 because I think I’ve done a pretty good job there recently — but short ovals.”
Kirkwood needs to join up the dots for 2025
Kirkwood found the consistency that he lacked in the year prior this season, but didn’t quite have the edge required to secure a victory.
He claimed two wins in 2022 but was four positions worse off with 11th in the championship – indicating that a combination of both factors could warrant a title charge.
Encouraging signs are there for Andretti, who handed the 25-year-old an opportunity after just one year behind the cockpit of an AJ Foyt car.
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He will partner Herta and Marcus Ericsson again in 2025, and that stability should only be a good thing for their hopes.
The only fear may be the potential of their Chip Ganassi rivals, now that they will run three cars instead of five again and can focus their efforts more on reigning champion Alex Palou.