SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Kyle Kirkwood has stood on the Indianapolis 500 beginning grid on race day for a number of years, taking within the pageantry, the large crowds, the well-orchestrated pomp and circumstance for one of the celebrated sporting occasions on this planet.

This Sunday shall be completely different, nevertheless. The 23-year outdated Jupiter resident will as an alternative be climbing into the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet and taking Indy’s famed inexperienced flag for the primary time in his profession, racing towards among the finest open-wheel drivers on this planet.

“I’ve stood on the grid a pair occasions for driver introductions and watching prerace ceremonies,’’ Kirkwood mentioned. “And I do know it’s going to be much more particular as a driver going to the motive force intros and prerace ceremonies — it’s one of the particular issues on this world, and that’s what bought me hooked on the Indy 500.”

With out hesitation, Kirkwood says his Indianapolis 500 debut is much more memorable due to the chance to drive for one of many race’s most iconic opponents in Foyt — the primary four-time Indy winner as a driver, he has one other (1999) as a group proprietor.

The “Foyt impact” at Indianapolis has been all the pieces Kirkwood hoped it will be.

“I watched some IndyCar races on the age of 5 and 6, so I by no means bought to completely understand how legendary that quantity (14) is and the way legendary A.J. Foyt is,’’ Kirkwood mentioned. 

“Across the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, A.J. perks up, and all of the followers come out. He’s bought far more followers than anybody else on this paddock and so they’ve all been coming right here simply to see him 30 years after he raced. 

“If I can say I’ve bought followers 30 years after I’ve pushed a automotive, that may be completely insane to me. So it’s been cool to be round and I now understand how legendary it’s to drive the No. 14 for A.J. Foyt.”

Kirkwood shall be beginning his first Indy 500 Sunday from the twenty eighth place — contained in the tenth row. He was nineteenth in Friday’s “Carb Day” last observe. And he has a pair of fourth-place finishes on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s infield street course en path to profitable the 2021 Indy Lights championship. He’s the one driver to win championships in all three sequence of the Highway to Indy open-wheel ladder system. 

His first time on the “large observe” because it’s known as has been a studying expertise. Solely seven drivers within the 33-car discipline have accomplished extra laps than Kirkwood (388) within the mixed observe periods over the previous two weeks.

And the promising rookie readily concedes a lot of this primary Indy expertise has been an awesome, high-speed studying expertise. In spite of everything, the two.5-mile observe is thought to be one of the difficult amenities on this planet. He’s beginning towards the rear of the sphere, however he’s surrounded by Indy greatness in four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who begins simply forward of Kirkwood and in entrance of two-time Indy champion Juan Pablo Montoya, who begins simply behind Kirkwood.

In his solely different NTT IndyCar Collection oval-track begin this season, at Texas Motor Speedway, Kirkwood began twenty fifth however was working among the many prime 10 throughout the opening 25 laps. He was finally taken out by one other driver’s mistake.

Kirkwood mentioned he’s had a really measured strategy to his debut within the greatest race on this planet — different groups are higher financed and are fielding veteran drivers. However Kirkwood is aware of this chance is the primary chapter of what he hopes to be a protracted, storied profession.

“It’s undoubtedly not the simplest, however it’s really a number of enjoyable being in one thing I do know I can progress,’’ he mentioned, smiling. “And the explanation it’s one thing enjoyable is as a result of the entire group has type of rallied round me.

“It’s not like I’m going into an enormous group and you’ve got Graham [Rahal] or Colton [Herta] or [six-time series champion ] Scott Dixon. I’m going right into a group and it’s like ‘you’re the man’ and it’s my rookie season. 

“Most individuals would have a look at it like this can be a ton of strain. I’m really actually having fun with it. I believe it’s a ton of enjoyable. I’ve all the time felt like I work nicely with a group and type of getting everybody up to the mark. It’s not something new to me, in that sense.

“It’s extra necessary to have a group rally round you than it’s to have large assets,’’ Kirkwood added. “When you get individuals to work in unison and everyone seems to be comfortable, you’ll see larger groups with all of the assets however heads are bumping.

“So I do the most effective I can to rally everybody collectively. And if no good comes from it, we not less than have a really enjoyable time doing it.’’

“There’s all the time issues you are able to do higher, and I’m all the time striving for extra. On the similar time, if I look again at the place I got here from and all the pieces that’s transpired. That is actually particular.”

106th Indianapolis 500

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