Kirkwood secures first Andretti podium of 2026, noting “phenomenal” racing at Phoenix

Credit: James Black

IndyCar returned to Phoenix Raceway after eight years, with the wait well worth it in the Arizona desert, with the 250 laps proving to be an entertaining affair, which saw Kyle Kirkwood finish second behind eventual victor Josef Newgarden.

Saturday’s 564 passes was a track record and Kirkwood noted that as they continued to run and the track cleaned up, the drivers became “more confident running more than one lane.”

Going into the weekend, it was challenging to predict what the grip was going to be based on the lack of historical data, but as the race played out, there were a lot of strategy options and plenty of overtaking opportunities.

“I thought it was a lot of fun and our car was really good, which I guess there’s a common denominator there,” said Kirkwood. “When your cars are good at short ovals, it tends to be a lot of fun.”

High downforce levels and a strong Firestone tyre were significant contributors into the good racing on-show at Phoenix, something that Kirkwood, amongst others, applauded the series for.

This race weekend also marked a double weekend with the NASCAR Cup Series, which further helped develop the ability to run the higher lanes. For the Andretti driver, watching NASCAR running in the high lines allowed him to feel comfortable in trying it out for himself.

“The fact they’re already putting rubber up there helps and gives us confidence to go up there,” Kirkwood added. 

Once the marbles came in, it left the drivers questioning their confidence to go back up to those lanes, which pushed drivers into single-file racing again. 

Credit: James Black

With new tyres this season, Kirkwood spoke further on the tyres, mentioning that “the wider tyre definitely increased the front grip.

“I can't say what it would have been like if we didn't have that tyre there, if we still had the normal tyre here. Zero failures. Running within a very healthy temperature range.”

Going forward, Kirkwood and the rest of Andretti are “going to have great cars,” and with that, the hope of performing well on short ovals. 

Will Power, making the switch from Penske, is additionally looking forward to the same, looking to maximise their efforts going forward.

On the weekend as a whole, “it was great having a weekend again with NASCAR. We should see more of that. I think there should be even more collaboration between the series,” Kirkwood noted, recalling the phenomenal racing the series put on.