IndyCar rookies bring strong resumes, loads of promise

IndyCar 2022 rookies: No. 6 – Kyle Kirkwood

A.J. Foyt Enterprises will feature two regular IndyCar rookies for the first time in the team’s 43-year history.

Kyle Kirkwood, a 23-year-old native of Jupiter, Florida, joins David Malukas as one of only eight American drivers in this year’s full-time IndyCar field. He comes with an almost unbelievable record of success in professional racing, with five lower-level series championships in six seasons.

He took last season’s Indy Lights championship from Malukas with wins in four of the last five races and 10 checkered flags throughout the season. In 2019, he won nine times in 16 races en route to the Indy Pro 2000 title, and he won all but two races in the 2018 U.S. F2000 Championship season.

Kirkwood spent the 2020 pandemic off-year racing sports cars for Vasser Sullivan and Forty7 Motorsports, but his Indy Lights title came for Andretti Autosport. When Andretti Autosport team leadership opted to bring in Devlin DeFrancesco to fill James Hinchcliffe’s seat, Kirkwood jumped sideways to A.J. Foyt Enterprises.

It will be fascinating to see if Kirkwood’s ungodly dominance at IndyCar’s lower levels translates to success on the main stage, but he could do worse than aligning himself with the Foyt organization.

While neither Andretti Autosport nor A.J. Foyt Enterprises may be ready to challenge Team Penske or Chip Ganassi Racing for titles just yet, both teams should be competitive on a race-to-race basis.

Of the six impressive and promising rookies making their IndyCar debuts in 2022, Kirkwood is the one most likely to be hoisting the Rookie of the Year trophy come Sunday, September 11 on the streets of Long Beach, California.