Indy Lights champion Kyle Kirkwood, probably the most well-rounded driver of the following wave of younger IndyCar newcomers, has eventually discovered an open seat and can drive for A.J. Foyt Racing subsequent season.

Kirkwood will drive Foyt’s flagship No. 14 Chevrolet, the staff mentioned Wednesday. Sebastien Bourdais drove the automobile final season however is switching to full-time sports activities automobile competitors. Kirkwood will deliver $1.3 million in scholarship cash for successful the Indy Lights title to the staff.

The 23-year-old from Florida is the one driver to win championships in all three divisions of the Highway to Indy ladder system. He received the USF2000 title in 2018, the Indy Professional 2000 title in 2019 and the Indy Lights championship this 12 months. The 2020 Indy Lights season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kirkwood this 12 months tied the late Greg Moore’s 1995 report of 10 Lights victories, however regardless of successful half his begins and the IndyCar scholarship cash, he wasn’t an computerized promotion. Andretti Autosport held his contract, however Kirkwood was in a position to look elsewhere for work starting Nov. 1 when Michael Andretti couldn’t decide up the choice.

Andretti has employed former System One driver Romain Grosjean for subsequent season from Dale Coyne Racing, and 21-year-old Devlin DeFrancesco final week was promoted to IndyCar by Andretti after one winless season in Lights.

Andretti defended the DeFrancesco promotion as sticking to a plan laid out years earlier. However he additionally revealed that if Andretti had purchased an F1 staff, he would have taken Colton Herta from IndyCar and given Kirkwood the Herta seat.

“Sadly the way in which issues ended, there wasn’t room for him, however I can guarantee you that he is a star of the longer term, and we’re undoubtedly going to be watching him,” Andretti mentioned final week of Kirkwood.

Kirkwood was additionally handed over at Rahal Letterman Lanigan, which final month named 20-year-old System 2 driver Christian Lundgaard as its new third driver. In the meantime, Indy Lights rival David Malukas examined with Dale Coyne Racing, and the runner-up to Kirkwood within the championship might find yourself there in IndyCar alongside two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato.

IndyCar this final season had 4 race winners 24 or youthful, together with Alex Palou of Spain, who launched his championship-winning season 17 days after his twenty fourth birthday.

Kirkwood is extremely rated and the endurance driver for the Vasser-Sullivan Racing sports activities automobile staff however lacked the sponsorship {dollars} many groups need drivers to deliver to get the seat. Kirkwood had solely his scholarship cash, which is anticipated to cowl two races and the Indy 500.

“This deal got here collectively moderately shortly, however I’ve already been impressed with how Kyle thinks about racing and the maturity he appears to have for such a younger driver,” mentioned staff president Larry Foyt. “We really feel Kyle might be an important asset as we tackle these challenges and work to develop as a staff.”

Kirkwood mentioned Larry Foyt was one of many first individuals within the IndyCar paddock to take time to indicate him across the huge leagues after they met in 2018 at Highway America when Kirkwood was racing in USF2000.

“From that second, I felt very comfy with the environment of the staff, and now it has come to fruition that I might be driving the No. 14,” Kirkwood mentioned.

A.J. Foyt Racing is owned by the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, who is taken into account one of many biggest racers of all time.

“It is onerous to elucidate in phrases the thrill I’ve to drive for such an skilled and legendary staff,” Kirkwood mentioned. “It is unbelievable seeing the utterly surprising path I took in earlier years blossom into one thing I’ve at all times hoped for as a child in karting.”