WASHINGTON, D.C. — Meeting the media ahead of the IndyCar Freedom 250 Kyle Kirkwood, driver of the No. 27 Dallara-Honda for Andretti Global admitted that the one-off race is going to be a voyage of discovery for every team and driver.
Kyle Kirkwood on the Freedom 250 and his IndyCar title hopes
IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood talked about his title hopes ahead of the Freedom 250
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
But having won a race under similar circumstances earlier this season, the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, Kirkwood believes he and Andretti Global are in good position to take the checkered flag on the streets of Washington, D.C. on Sunday.
“Quite honestly, it starts with development,” said Kirkwood to the media, including SB Nation, during his media session on Friday ahead of the Freedom 250. “Our cars were really, really good at Arlington. They’re really, really good. Our race pace has been phenomenal, especially on new street courses.
“So we’re excited for this one. would be the trifecta for us on new street courses. So we’re very excited for it.”
Kirkwood’s teammate Marcus Ericsson won the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham last weekend, another new street circuit.
Speaking with the media, Kirkwood admitted that the Freedom 250 will pose some challenges. It is a new track, an unknown surface, and with the race being extended to 147 laps — to cover a full 250 miles — that poses challenges for the drivers and the teams.
“It’s understanding the track, of course, right? The only thing that any of us drivers have had is maybe a DIL [Driver-in-the-Loop simulator] day on a model that isn’t completely accurate,” said Kirkwood when asked how drivers are preparing for this race. [The simulator] has no bumps, it has no different asphalt. It’s kind of just understanding which way the corners go more so than anything.
“Getting here, getting our track walk on, understanding what the pavements like, what kind of grip it’s gonna make, the bumps that we have. [Then] where are those bumps at? Are they in braking zones? Are they in the straights? Are they on power? Is in the middle of the corner?
“Understanding all those things and then trying to find a common corner at another racetrack that might be applicable to this place, and then build a car around that.”
And with the race distance being extended, the drivers need to be ready to make it to the finish line, physically and mentally.
“But it’s not going to be easy for anyone,” began Kirkwood.
“[It’s] going to be hot out. But this is why we train. This is why we prepare for events like this, right?
“The crew, my side, at least on the 27 car, they do a very, very good job in these situations. A lot of oval races that we go to, we have four or five or six pit stops. So this isn’t something that is atypical. But for us drivers, 147 laps on the street course is not going to be an easy thing.
“So, trying to mentally prepare as much as possible because any other prep that you have [you] might not be able to do by now. So I guess we’ll get out there tomorrow, see how physical it is, and see what we need to do to make sure that we’re fresh for the end of the race.”
Kirkwood enters the weekend sitting second in the championship, 133 points behind Alex Palou. While the defending champion remains in the driver’s seat for another title, Kirkwood can catch him by the end of the season.
But the Andretti Global driver admitted it would take a few “miracles” to pull that off.
“I mean, it’s the same all year long. The new standard is you just win as much as you can, and you win the championship,” said Kirkwood when asked about his championship aspirations. “So, I mean, that’s really what we’ve been doing all year long.
“But now this close to the end of it, some miracles will have to happen for us to be back into the championship fight. And those miracles would be us winning everything from here on out as well as Palou having some very bad days. So with that being said, our goal is to try to win every single event from here on out.”
Even if he cannot complete the comeback, Kirkwood said he’ll be celebrating this weekend.
Celebrating driving in an event like the Freedom 250.
“I’m celebrating the fact that I get to drive an indoor car around the streets of DC. that’s pretty cool. That’s worth some celebration. I think 30 years from now we’ll look back and be like, that was awesome.
Kirkwood will first take to the streets of Washington, D.C. on Saturday morning for the first of two practice sessions ahead of Saturday afternoon’s qualifying.
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