Kyle Kirkwood: Markham crash “flipped a switch” before Freedom 250 win

After a costly mistake forced a mental reset, the Andretti Global driver dominated 128 laps around the National Mall to claim a historic win and slash Alex Palou's championship lead

It only took one bad weekend for Kyle Kirkwood to hit reset.

Instead of letting a costly mistake from his last outing linger, where he unacharacteristically crashed out in Markham, the 27-year-old Florida native channeled that frustration into a relentless week of preparation and turned it into a masterclass on the streets of Washington, D.C.

Driving the #27 Andretti Global Honda, Kirkwood led 128 of 147 laps to capture a dominant victory at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. Starting second on the grid, he wasted no time making his move, seizing the lead on the opening lap from title rival and pole-sitter Alex Palou before dictating the pace around the 1.7-mile, 7-turn temporary street circuit surrounding the National Mall.

Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian

Photo by: ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images

For Kirkwood, the drive wasn't just about taking the checkered flag; it was the direct result of a mindset shift that began the second his previous race went off the rails.

“That was huge,” Kirkwood said of the win. “After last weekend, my mistakes there, kind of flipped a switch where I was like these mistakes feel terrible. I hadn't had one of those in a very long time.

“Sometimes those are actually good for me because all this week I feel like I've worked harder than I ever have in preparation for this event. I think those preparations paid off this weekend.

“Yeah, it was a great feeling to rebound after last weekend, to get here, to see all the fans, 100,000 people on both days is absolutely incredible. The whole place there's people, rows of five in the pace laps, all the way around the track, 1.7 miles. Super cool to see.

“To be able to win in what will be considered, probably, my home race, right, being the Freedom 250 as an American, is something very special. I'll cherish this moment for a very long time.”

While Kirkwood executed his weekend with surgical precision, championship leader Palou endured an uncharacteristic nightmare. Trying to navigate the tight street course with a damaged toe link late in the running, Palou ultimately crashed on Lap 123 before limping to 20th. The swing was monumental: Kirkwood slashed Palou's championship lead from 133 points down to 91 in a single afternoon.

Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian

Photo by: Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Maintaining that intensity inside the cockpit required every bit of Kirkwood's focus, especially as the laps ticked down and the weight of the moment threatened to creep in.

“It wasn't easy, I'm not going to lie to you,” he said. “There's times where it's like 100 laps in, I'm thinking about winning this race, right? I have to, like, block it out, try and be like refocus, reset. I just told myself to reset.

“Even in the last few laps, once it got to the last lap, I could let myself breathe a little bit, soak it in a little bit because we had about a four-and-a-half-second lead. Kind of chilled out in that lap.

“If last weekend is any indicator, as soon as you lose a little bit of focus, small mistakes are very consequential. Did everything in my power to not let myself drift away in any sense.”

That heightened focus was tested to its absolute limit on Lap 129. Leading the field to the final restart, Kirkwood was the only driver among the top six riding on the harder primary tires. Behind him, second-place Scott McLaughlin – armed with softer, grippier alternate compound rubber on his #3 Team Penske Chevrolet – got a massive jump and launched a high-risk dive-bomb into Turn 1.

Kirkwood’s instincts saved his race. Spotting McLaughlin in his mirrors, he yielded the corner just enough to avoid contact as McLaughlin overshot the turn and slammed into the outside wall.

Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian

Photo by: Chris Graythen / Getty Images

“Yeah, I was the only one on prime tires out of the top six. It's not easy. I got huge wheel spin when I got to power, which the guys on the red tires and alternate tires didn't have that big of an issue. So I was under a lot of fire,” Kirkwood said.

“I saw him coming. I kind of defended a little bit, but I was like, ‘He's not going to try this.’ And he did, right? Quite honestly, I thought he was going to make it stick initially.

“Once I saw how fast he was, in your mirror you can kind of see it out of your eye, you're focused on braking, but you see where he's coming from. I knew I had to kind of give up the position and hope that I could cross him up on exit. That's all I was trying to do.

“Once he got alongside me, there's no way he's stopping. That's when he really checked up, tried to get a good run out. Fortunately I was able to hold Christian (Lundgaard) out.

“The yellow came out after that whole incident, could have been a nightmare for us, being on primes, being the second guy in line to do a restart, probably wouldn't have ended up well for us.”

Fans

Photo by: Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images

The survival maneuver capped off what Kirkwood considers a career-defining moment – a victory that stands side-by-side with his very first in IndyCar.

“This likely is the most satisfying win that I've had,” Kirkwood said. “Just the magnitude of it. It's huge. This one and my first are pretty similar.

“Getting your first win in IndyCar is a very special moment, kind of solidifies that your dreams have come true. As a little kid growing up in go-karts, wanting to do this your whole career, finally winning against guys you've watched on TV and admired for so long, being able to beat them is very satisfactory.

“Also here, when you think about the magnitude, what this means, having this race here in DC, being the Freedom 250, as an American, it might top the first win for me.”