KIRKWOOD RETURNSTOHIS “HOMETRACK”

For Honda driver Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Autosport, the best place to be on Fourth of July Weekend is the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Honda Indy 200.

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It’s a red-white-and-blue celebration for the NTT IndyCar Series and a great way to kick off the Independence Day holiday. It means camping out, bonfires with friends, firing up the grill and enjoying some fireworks, both on and off the race course.

“It’s a perfect place for that weekend,” Kirkwood said. “If that track doesn’t scream ‘America’, I don’t know what does. It falls on the Fourth of July Weekend. I couldn’t ask for a better place to spend my Fourth of July Weekend than at Mid-Ohio.”

He also considers the famed Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as his home track, even though he is from Jupiter, Florida.

It’s 1,133 miles from his hometown of Jupiter, Florida, to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. But to 24-yearold Kirkwood, Mid-Ohio Sports Car course is his “home track”, and he intends to be the hometown hero in the Honda Indy 200.

“I pretty much consider Mid-Ohio as my home track, even though it’s the furthest thing from my home track that you might expect,” Kirkwood explained. “I’ve got so much time there – I probably have double the number of laps around Mid-Ohio as any other circuit that I’ve ever been to – and I’ve had my most success there.

“Those are the main reasons I consider it my home track.”

Throughout Kirkwood’s career, from the very beginning in 2016, he has competed in every series that makes up the steps of the IndyCar ladder system. The Honda driver hopes to use that familiarity and experience to his benefit in his second IndyCar Series race at Mid-Ohio, his first with Andretti Autosport.

“What I like most about it is there are a couple of high-speed corners like in Turn 1 and Turn 11 that are super enjoyable, the most fun we have on our calendar,” Kirkwood explained. “The track has so much character with the up-and-down sections through Turns 4 and 5 and the entire back section through Turn 9.

“One [other] thing that is cool about it, though, given that it is the amount of people that show up for that event. There are some die-hard fans that really love that place and are out there every single year, year after year and we get a massive turnout. They show up for that weekend and drivers love that. We love driving around there. For one lap around any track in IndyCar, that would be the place that I would choose to do it.”

It's also important for a Honda driver to do well at Mid-Ohio because many of the fans that attend that race work at the many Honda facilities located throughout central Ohio.

“I can imagine [Honda associates] have their whole heart in what they do and what they do turns out for us,” Kirkwood said proudly. “We are very appreciative of them, and they are very proud of us. There is a massive mutual respect between the guys and ladies that work at the plant and us drivers. It’s cool to represent them at such a historic event for them in their home state and home area.

“I’ve been a Honda guy since my karting days. I raced a Honda shifter in 2012, raced Honda shifters all the way through my karting career; then moved into a Honda-powered F1600 car in 2016, moved into a Honda-powered F4 car, then a Honda-powered F3 car and ultimately did the Road to Indy ladder system up to IndyCar. “I’ve represented Honda at Mid-Ohio quite a bit!”

Kirkwood understands the importance of performing well at a Honda race. He scored his first career NTT IndyCar Series victory in the April 16 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, just down I-405 from the American Honda Motor Car Company headquarters in Torrance, California and Honda Performance Development in Santa Clarita.

“That was a little taste, but hopefully we can do it again at a track [Mid-Ohio] where it means everything to Honda.”

It was obvious to NTT IndyCar Series team owner Michael Andretti early in Kirkwood’s racing career that he was a potential star of the future.

“Yeah, he's the real deal,” Andretti said. “I’m happy for him. He's been a pleasure on the team. We're really excited, really happy for the results.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach victory was Kirkwood’s first IndyCar Series win in just his 20th career start, and his first at Andretti Autosport in just his third start for the team.

This is an exciting time in the NTT IndyCar Series, with a tremendous influx of young talent and intriguing personalities. Kirkwood believes this is the perfect time for him to become a star in IndyCar.

“The trajectory [IndyCar] is on right now is massive,” Kirkwood said of the series. “It’s going straight up. The coolest thing in the world right now seems to be motorsports. Day to day, walking around normal streets, you see people wearing more racing clothes and motorsports in general.

“I couldn’t be happier to be in this era of IndyCar. With Penske Corporation putting so much effort into what they have done with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to what they have done with the series, the efforts the teams are putting in, the efforts the sponsors are putting in across the entire grid has been amazing.

“It has been perceived extremely well by the public and people are getting more and more fond of it. That is showing in the TV numbers and showing in the attendance rates where we have some very, very high attendance this year. I couldn’t ask for a better era, especially when it comes to safety, too.

“I had a massive wreck at the Indy 500, and I walked away from it unscathed. Five or eight years ago, I probably couldn’t say that I would have.”

Kirkwood is coming back home to the track where he has the most experience and hopes to start his Fourth of July celebration in victory lane at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

Excellence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you must earn every day. Honda put this philosophy to the test in March 2023, with Marcus Ericsson commanding a Honda-powered Indy car at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. A grueling 1.8-mile, 14-turn circuit composed of long straights, heavy braking zones, and tight corners, it was a true test of endurance in the face of adversity. Many drivers had fallen victim to the challenges the track posed in seasons past, but Ericsson had been preparing for this moment from the start.

Ericsson’s journey started with a burning passion—ignited at age 9, as his father watched him race karts. As the fire grew, Ericsson graduated to Formula 3,™ known by many as an important step in the development of racing greatness . By 20, he was competing in the GP2 Series, where each team is mandated to use the same engine, chassis, and tire supplier to reflect true driver ability. His hunger to push the limits then pushed him even further, leading to his entry in Formula 1® to participate in some of the world’s biggest races, like Monaco and Suzuka. Finally, at age 24, he took his skills to the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES, which would prove to be a turning point.

The Honda engineers who built the HI8TT Series engine powering Ericsson’s charge were equally prepared. This 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 is largely defined by its power output, reaching up to 12,000 rpm and 700 bhp. Specifically designed for a track like St. Petersburg and its long frontstretch, the engine is optimized by high-octane E85 fuel, and also offers twin EFS turbos for a boost in speed before quick esses leading back to the runway. Years of research, development, and innovative thinking went into the machine, a testament to the unwavering drive that existed even beyond the driver of it.

With a first-place finish at stake, Ericsson dodged collisions and conquered corners to close the gap between him and first place. This was everything he had been working toward. Before he knew it, he was leading the pack for the first time in 97 laps, and never looked back. Now a winner in the first INDYCAR® race of 2023, he embraced thunderous applause from his team and fans in the grandstands. In a day overflowing with drama, Ericsson had put everything on the line —just as he always had—and his dedication had been rewarded.