Photo: Road to Indy
Reigning Indy Pro 2000 champion Kyle Kirkwood will drive for Andretti Autosport in Indy Lights this year.
The 21-year-old won nine of the 16 races in IP2000 last year with RP Motorsport, and his title success earned him a $790,300 scholarship to enter Indy Lights with.
Kirkwood made his series test debut at Sebring last month with Andretti and was second fastest.
?I am ecstatic that I can now say I am competing in Indy Lights with Andretti Autosport this season,??said Kirkwood.
?They have established a winning program in Indy Lights, and we plan on carrying that reputation throughout 2020.
“We are a fantastic match for each other and our Sebring test in December proved that.?
After winning the 2019 IP2000 title, Kirkwood made his European racing debut at Monza in Euroformula. He finished both of his races with RP in the top 10, and there suggestions that the Fomula 1-aspiring driver could make a continental switch.
In the formative years of his career, Kirkwood won the United States Formula 4, USF2000 and Formula 3 Americas titles, and has had one of the most successful junior single-seater careers this century.
Andretti ran Patricio O’Ward and Oliver Askew to the 2018 and ’19 titles, and Kirkwood is their signing for this season. The team is expected to retain race-winner Robert Megennis for a second season.
?We are very excited about the addition of Kyle to our Indy Lights program,? Andretti Autosport’s chairman Michael Andretti said.
?We?ve followed Kyle?s career from when he started in 2018 with USF2000 and have been impressed with his success in every race that led to his IP2000 title last year.
“As a championship-caliber team, Kyle displays the desire and talent that we look for in our drivers and are excited to see him hit the track for the 2020 Indy Lights season.?
Kirkwood’s opposition so far only consists of HMD Motorsports returnee David Malukas and the debuting combination of Exclusive Autosport and Nikita Lastochkin.