Kyle Kirkwood’s parents, Peggy and Cam Kirkwood, played a crucial role in supporting his racing career despite having no prior experience in motorsports.
Recently, he won the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, presented by Axalta and Valvoline, on Sunday night at the World Wide Technology Raceway.
Highlights
- Peggy and Cam Kirkwood fully backed Kyle’s passion for racing despite having no prior experience in motorsports.
- Cam, a former soccer coach, helped Kyle make the tough decision to quit competitive soccer and focus solely on racing.
- Peggy, an artist, and Cam, a real estate agent, balanced their careers while funding and guiding Kyle’s journey.
Kyle began karting at a young age and won multiple titles, including the AM Engines Formula Tag Junior championship, SKUSA SuperNationals XVII – S5 Junior championship, and Florida Winter Tour.
He made his single-seater debut in the F1600 Championship with Chastain Motorsports in 2015. Later, he joined the inaugural Formula 4 United States Championship with Primus Racing in 2016.
Kyle joined Abel Motorsports to contest the inaugural season of F3 Americas in 2018 and selected RP Motorsport Racing as his team for the championship in 2019.
He won the 2021 Indy Lights Championship for Andretti Autosport and became the first driver to win a championship in every Road to Indy series.
Moreover, he took his first IndyCar win at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and a second win at the 2023 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.
Huge Race. We were not amazing at first. We kept making changes. This car is now racy, the boys crushed it.
Kyle Kirkwood
Kyle Kirkwood’s Parents Fueled His Racing Dream
Kyle MacLean Kirkwood, the son of Peggy and Cam Kirkwood, was born on October 19, 1998, in Jupiter, Florida. His parents raised him alongside his two brothers, Cameron and Robert Kirkwood.
Likewise, they supported him and fueled his passion to become a professional racer.
It all started when Cam bought go-karts for his three sons. While the other boys eventually moved on, Kyle was the only one who stuck with it.
He spent countless hours honing his skills at Moroso Motorsports Park. He tirelessly lapped the track for three years, catching the attention of someone at the circuit who suggested he start competing.
His parents wholeheartedly supported his racing journey even though they were unfamiliar with the world of motorsports.
When I was 4, my parents brought me and my two older brothers out to Moroso for a drag race, and I remember watching the jet cars and just being absolutely fascinated and thinking it was the coolest thing ever.
Kyle Kirkwood
Racing became a family affair, with Peggy and Cam often watching their son go around in circles. However, their dedication went beyond the sidelines.
Peggy, an artist and founder of The New Studio for the Visual Arts in Jupiter, balanced her creative career with Kyle’s budding racing ambitions.
She learned to ski at Mont-Tremblant and competed in events around the northeast while growing up in New York.
I’m just beyond humbled and grateful and relieved because this is what he has wanted all his life. It shows with really consistent dedication, perseverance and hard work, you can make it. Because the sport for so long has been if you don’t have money, you can’t make it. Kyle is such a great story for the sport.
Peggy Kirkwood
Meanwhile, Cam, a luxury real estate agent with Compass Florida in Palm Beach County, drew on his athletic background to instill discipline and perseverance in his son.
Cam played and coached youth soccer in Key Biscayne before his time at Coral Gables High.
Peggy and Cam’s unwavering support and willingness to step outside their comfort zone played a crucial role in shaping Kyle into one of the best drivers today.
They have been there every step of the way, from go-kart to the IndyCar series.
“I knew mostly about soccer. A lot of this (racing) was new, so I had to find people to help him. We spent a lot of time at the track in Homestead (and later Ocala, after getting a sponsorship from one of the famed Bacardi siblings who lived on Key Biscayne). He continued to win championships.
Cam Kirkwood
Cam Kirkwood Helped Kyle Decide His Future
Cam Kirkwood’s passion for soccer shaped his sons’ early years. His oldest, Robert, was on the path to a professional career in MLS before a devastating leg injury ended his dreams.
His youngest son, Kyle, was following a similar path, competing nationally with elite travel teams. But one pivotal day changed everything.
So. How’s everybody holding up?
— Kyle M. Kirkwood (@KKirkwoodRacing) August 3, 2024
✌️more weeks. #INDYCAR #summerbreak #teamusa pic.twitter.com/74screDRQe
During a hectic morning, Cam found himself racing against the clock, trying to get Kyle from a delayed soccer match to a go-kart practice where his team was frustrated by his absence.
As a coach, he had to pull his son from the game early to make the drive.
He asked his son to choose between soccer and karting that day, and Kyle chose karting, which was a lot more expensive than cleats and travel.
Although Kyle walked away from soccer, Cam’s discipline and work ethic remained with him, becoming a foundation for his racing career.
I was playing at a very high level for my age group, and it came to a point of, ‘You’re really good at both, and this racing thing can turn into something big, and so can the soccer thing.’
Kyle Kirkwood
I was like, ‘I’d rather stay in racing. I love racing.’ My family was very supportive, and I ended up quitting soccer a couple of months later.
In the early days, the Kirkwoods loaded Kyle’s go-kart and a pup tent into the bed of their Silverado, crisscrossing the country for races.
But as Kyle’s talent shone through, earning wins and scholarships, the sacrifices paid off, easing the financial and logistical burdens.
Cam’s guidance had set Kyle on a new path, proving that sometimes, the right choice isn’t the expected one.
Additional Information
- Kyle Kirkwood has been in a relationship with his Argentine girlfriend, Vicky Schaffner, since 2022.
- He partook in the Mazda Road to Indy Shootout in December 2016 but lost out on the scholarship to Askew.
- He hasn’t opened up about his actual net worth, but sources have claimed that he earned $3.5 million in 2024 at a glance.
