Kyle Kirkwood likes to travel light. Give him a percussion gun to stay loose during the week and a single pair of sunglasses he may or may not lose by the post-race press conference, and the IndyCar driver says pretty much good to go.<\/p>\n
On the track, though, when he climbs into his No. 27 Andretti Global Honda<\/a> for this Sunday\u2019s Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix in Birmingham, AL, he\u2019ll bring the same calculating, ice\u2011cold composure that helped him to his first victory of the 2026 season two weeks ago. His win at the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington also put him in new territory: For the first time in the 27\u2011year\u2011old\u2019s career, he sits atop the IndyCar standings\u2014and he isn\u2019t ready to hand that back to three\u2011time defending champion Alex Palou<\/a> just yet.<\/p>\n \u201cMan, what an incredible day,\u201d Kirkwood<\/a> said following the win. \u201cWe need a lot more like this. We\u2019re only in race No. 3, so I\u2019m not looking at the championship, but it is nice to say it\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve ever led the championship in the IndyCar Series.\u201d<\/p>\n It was how he got there that stood out. A bold move past Palou with 15 laps remaining sealed his win. After five top\u2011five finishes in 2025, he\u2019s opened this year with three more, including his win in Texas and a second\u2011place finish at the Good Ranchers 250\u2014early proof that consistency may be his biggest weapon.<\/p>\n Maintaining that momentum means staying cool when the cockpit hits triple\u2011digit temps, the G\u2011forces try to rip your head off, and a split\u2011second opening like the one he found in Arlington can either work in your favor or send you backward.<\/p>\n For the 5\u20198\u2033, 154\u2011pound driver, staying light is one of the keys to staying in control. While the weightroom and conditioning workouts force him to train like a hybrid athlete<\/a>, his focus isn\u2019t on pushing huge numbers. Controlling a 2,000\u2011pound car doesn\u2019t require controlling heavy weights in the gym or even logging in lots of running miles.<\/a> \u201cThere\u2019s a point that you end up converting too much energy with your arms, endurance, and your size,\u201d he says. \u201cYou have to stay somewhat small. I\u2019d say the median weight is between, like, 155 and 170 for a racing driver, and I\u2019m on the low end of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Nutrition and hydration also matter\u2014especially on raceday, but Kirkwood has learned to regulate his in\u2011car composure by keeping his heart rate low through a more unconventional skill set. The Jupiter, FL, native has developed an uncanny ability to hold his breath underwater, a strength first cultivated as a kid spearfishing and diving in the Atlantic. That subtle practice taught him to stay calm at depth, control his breathing for long stretches, and keep his heart rate down when his body wants to panic.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess in some ways it\u2019s similar,\u201d says Kirkwood, whose victory in Texas was his sixth career IndyCar win. \u201cYou\u2019re trying to keep your heart rate low in one of these cars with all the G forces, the physicality of it, the heat\u2014you\u2019re trying to keep your heart rate as low as possible for those two hours that you\u2019re inside the car. So there is some correlation there.\u201d<\/p>\n In IndyCar, the difference between winning and fading to the back of the pack isn\u2019t always who\u2019s fastest\u2014it\u2019s who stays the calmest when everything is trying to rip them apart. At more than 200 mph, with up to 5 Gs pulling a driver\u2019s head away from the car\u2019s direction, the ones who can relax, control their breathing, and keep their heart rate low are the ones who can spot a split-second opening and take it without it backfiring.<\/p>\n Mid-race meditation is obviously not an option behind the wheel. But an unassuming tactic Kirkwood and other drivers use to manage that stress is breath control. During nearly every lap, he holds his breath for stretches, then resets and regains a normal rhythm. \u201cBreath holds around a track like this for about 22 seconds,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I would say, give or take, 10 to 15 seconds of the track, you\u2019re in a corner pulling three or four G\u2019s, and everybody knows when you\u2019re at that sort of G level, it\u2019s pretty hard to breathe, so you do have to hold your breath for a period of the lap here.\u201d<\/p>\n As a lifelong diver, that kind of breath control now feels like second nature. His ability today, though, was boosted by early adventures in the Atlantic\u2014long before he knew the benefits would translate to racing. It\u2019s become one of the unsung strengths behind his rise on the IndyCar circuit. \u201cYou go out on the water, you go spearfishing, you go diving, you go surfing,\u201d he says. \u201cI was in the water snorkeling when I was like, 3 or 4 years old\u2014it\u2019s just been a way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n Learning how to relax when his initial instinct was to react has become an invaluable tool. The longer he stayed below the surface, the more he had to stretch each inhale, stay calm as his lungs burned, and trust that he could outlast the urge to rush back up. \u201cWhen you\u2019re spearfishing, you\u2019ve got to keep your heart rate low,\u201d he says. \u201cThe cadence of your breath and how you\u2019re setting up for your dive is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n While he lives in Indianapolis during the season and doesn\u2019t get to dive as often as he once did, Kirkwood still leans on those calming advantages during a race\u2019s key moments. He admits he can\u2019t hold his breath like he did in his fishing prime, but the same relaxation and heart rate lowering habits he built underweater now help him manage the heat and G\u2011forces in the cockpit. \u201c\u201cI used to be able to hold my breath for over three minutes,\u201d he says. \u201dI used to be able to do about 100 feet,\u00a0 maybe a little bit more when I was in my late teens. Now I could probably do 60 or 70 feet.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s more to South Florida deep diving than just building a bigger breath. Kirkwood says that on top of being one of his favorite off-track activities, landing a giant fish during any one of his spearfishing expeditions also helps when it comes to refining his nutrition. \u201cCatching a 40\u2011 or 50\u2011pound grouper is probably my number one fish,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Kirkwood isn\u2019t a hardcore macro counter, but he stays mindful of keeping meals as healthy as possible, especially when he\u2019s maintaining his in-season weight of under 160 pounds. \u201cUsually I\u2019ll poach it, grill it, or even saut\u00e9 it,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s usually the go\u2011to, and then I eat it with rice or a vegetable. That\u2019s a typical fish meal for me.\u201d Still, there are times when a celebration calls for a little indulgence. \u201cThe best way is probably fried,\u201d he admits. \u201cThat\u2019s the best tasting, but I try not to do that very often.\u201d<\/p>\n Whatever\u2019s not being prepared immediately, Kirkwood wraps and freezes\u2014sometimes even bringing it on the road when healthy options aren\u2019t guaranteed. \u201cEverything that I do spear, I obviously take home. I clean it, I either package it, freeze it, bring it up with me to Indiana, or cook it fresh,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n One time fish is off the menu, though, is right before a race. Sitting in a car for 500 miles, any digestive surprises can be catastrophic.<\/p>\n Prior to each race, hydration becomes a top priority. Kirkwood sticks to a pre\u2011race electrolyte routine and alternates water with a hydration mix in the cockpit. \u201cI just do a mixture of water and either\u2014like, I\u2019d say, four or five hours before we\u2019re actually on track,\u201d he says. \u201cI use The Right Stuff, which is mostly a salt mixture, and then within two hours, it\u2019s either Liquid I.V. or something equivalent.\u201d<\/p>\n His pre\u2011race food is just as consistent: plain chicken, rice, and vegetables. The one challenge he doesn\u2019t need during a race is testing his stomach. \u201cWe obviously meal prep for the events, for Friday, Saturday, Sunday,\u201d he says. \u201cEverything that I eat is very restricted, because the last thing you want is something heavy, something that\u2019s probably not good for you, in a car when you\u2019re pulling four or five Gs around a racetrack like this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Being nicknamed \u201cKing of the Streets\u201d can be a short-lived title that\u2019s only as good as your last race\u2014especially when consistent success across IndyCar\u2019s full range of tracks is what ultimately secures the top spot at the end of the season. While his win at Arlington continues to elevate Kirkwood\u2019s reputation as a street\u2011circuit savant\u2014five of his six career wins have come on them\u2014championships are earned by making your mark as a top all\u2011around contender on other layouts, from high\u2011G short ovals like Phoenix (where he finished second) to 220\u2011plus mph superspeedways like Indianapolis, where he hopes to earn his first victory over Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most diverse series in the world,\u201d he says. \u201cSo having a different discipline and being ready for each one of those events is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n It takes a certain strength to control the different speeds and G\u2011loads each course presents, but during the season Kirkwood doesn\u2019t rely on heavy lifting so much as the race\u2011specific strength he\u2019s built for the car. \u201cI\u2019m not a huge [fan of] weightlifting,\u201d he admits. \u201cI think there\u2019s a point in a race car that you can\u2019t be too big. It\u2019s just like any endurance athlete. You don\u2019t want to be too big and you don\u2019t want to make massive [demands] on the body.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, his functional foundation comes from two main methods: an offseason neck\u2011training focus and in\u2011season cognitive work that keeps his reactions sharp in heart\u2011rate\u2011spiking moments like his finish at Arlington. \u201cThose are the two things that are very specific, I think, to racing,\u201d he says. \u201cEspecially cognitive ability\u2014to be able to get your heart rate up, something similar to what you\u2019ll be like in the car, then we use a synaptic screen to try and help your peripheral [vision] and your reaction timing.\u201d<\/p>\n Kirkwood\u2019s weeks follow a simple formula of resetting his body, training, and driving. Each workout often begins or ends with him using his Theragun percussion gun to work out the tightness and knots 500 miles of driving can add to the body. \u201cI always travel with a Theragun,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s one thing that gets me loosened up.\u201d<\/p>\n During the season, Monday becomes an automatic reset day for Kirkwood to focus on rehydration and refueling, adding back some of the up to eight pounds of water weight he may lose during a race. \u201cStaying hydrated, using that drink bottle is important,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce you get to the point that you feel fatigued and you\u2019re kind of getting some mental fog, you\u2019re already past the limit that you should be.\u201d Tuesdays and Wednesdays are for cardio and moderate lifting, plus coordination and cognitive drills to keep his reaction time sharp at elevated heart rates.<\/p>\n The regimen repeats until the season concludes Sept. 6 in Monterey, CA. It\u2019s a schedule designed to keep him sharp without burning him out\u2014and so far this season, everything seems to be going right. It\u2019s the type of conditioning that separates racecar drivers from the casual motorist. \u201cI think for the average human, they\u2019d get in one of these cars and do 15\u201320 laps and be like, I can\u2019t do anymore, like my neck is done. My arms are tired. But for us, we know how to adapt to the conditions pretty well. We do a lot of training for it.\u201d<\/p>\n With each win and podium finish, the closer Kirkwood gets to a shot a potential championship. After mastering the ability to hold tight to the steering wheel, simply hanging onto his shades after a press conference may be the next challenge. He\u2019ll take that trade-off if he\u2019s still at the top of the IndyCar standings at the end of the season. \u201cI burn through sunglasses because I always end up leaving them somewhere,\u201d he says. \u201cYou take them off in the media center, you leave them, and next thing you know, you got to go buy another pair.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nHow Kyle Kirkwood Trains to Stay Calm at 5Gs<\/h3>\n
![\"Kyle](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/KK2-e1774437521498.png?quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Fishing Has Also Become Kyle Kirkwood\u2019s Performance Fuel <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Inside Kyle Kirkwood\u2019s All-Around IndyCar Training Routine<\/strong><\/h3>\n