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Where Are They Now: 2018 nifSTAR winner's trophy Lost Edition

2026-10-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

As where’s I Want my MTV Rock Icons television show now?

Author’s Note

Yeah, once again, I've neglected unveiling the winner in a timely fashion, which was definitely compounded by the Nightmarish winDOUGHS 10 Operating Ha-Ha, Not! Confuzer' system I was attempting to Upgrade to since Gory February, 2020. Lasting thru October that year before my new Confuzer was functional. When this story got high-centered in the driftwood and totally forgotten.

Thus, turning 20 years old this September, I thought I’d celebrate with a few stories languishing in Thy cavernous No Fenders story vault…

WINNER

Kyle Kirkwood (Age: 28)

Born: October 19, 1998

Birthplace: Jupiter, Florida

2018 Results

Truly Kirkwood’s breakout year! Won 15 of 17 F3 Americas races and 12 of 14 U.S. F2000 National Championship races!

Post 2018 Results

2019 Indy Pro 2000 Championship, won 9 of 16 races. 2021 Indy Lights championship, won 10 of 20 races. Winner of 2022 Petit Le Mans and 2024 Sebring 12 Hours GTD Pro category. 2022-2026 IndyCar Series, winner of 7 races, 12 podiums and 4 pole positions.

Championships

2017 Formula 4 United States Championship, 2018 F3 (Formula Regional) Americas Championship, 2018 U.S. F2000 National Championship, 2019 Indy Pro 2000 Championship, 2021 Indy Lights championship

The driver that Marshall Pruett likes calling Kirk Kirkwood, (Kyle) first came onto my radar Wayback’ in Gory 2018, when tying J.R. Hildebrand's U.S. F2000 National Championship record of 12 Wins in a Season.

Then still a teenager at age 19, Kirkwood would also win that year’s lesser known F3 Americas Championship along with His U.S. f2000 National championship title. Firmly advancing to Indy Pro 2000 for 2019.

Like most current Open Wheel Racing drivers, Kirkwood began racing in Karts and won multiple championships before graduating to single seaters in 2015.

One could say His rise through the ranks was meteoric. After His debut in F1600. Kirkwood went onto win five straight championships in-a-row! Beginning with winnig 9 of 21 races during His 2017 U.S. Formula 4 Championship triumph…

Kirkwood had emotional push to Indy Pro 2000 title

The 2021 Indy Lights Championship was dominated by two current IndyCar drivers. With Kirkwood coming out on top vs. David Malukas. With Kirkwood winning ten times vs. Malukas seven.

Kyle Kirkwood wins 2021 Indy Lights title – Andretti Global

Kirkwood’s ten wins tied Greg Moore’s record for most Indy Lights wins in a season in 1995. When Moore won an impressive 10 of 12 races enroute to that year’s title.

Kyle made history by becoming the first driver to win all three rungs of the Road to Indy ladder. Doing so as a rookie no less and winning all consecutively!

The 2020 Indy Lights Championship was cancelled due to COVID-19, seeing Vasser Sullivan Racing throw the talented youngster a “lifeline”. With Kyle saying loyal to the team ever since. Most notably having won the 2022 Petit Le Mans and 2024 12 Hours of Sebring GTD Pro class with Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat in the No. 14 entry.

Also winning a round of IMSA GTD competition at Detroit in 2022. All behind the keyboard of the venerable Lexus RC F GT3.

Kirkwood made His IndyCar debut for A.J. Foyt enterprises at the 2022 St Petersburg season opener, and the rest has been history…

Back when winning the Indy Lights title guaranteed you three races including the Indianapolis 500, on a one-year loan to Foyt. Kyle had a best finish of tenth at Long Beach before returning to then Andretti Autosport in 2023 as Alexander Rossi’s replacement.

Kyle claimed His maiden IndyCar victory at Long Beach, and won again at the Nashville street circuit, finishing 11th overall for 2023.

2024 saw zero wins, before His breakout season the following year when claiming three wins, including His first Oval (Gateway) and fourth in the championship.

This year, Kirkwood won twice, both at inaugural events, both street circuits. First winning at Arlington, and then later dominating the Freedom 250 in Washington D.C. Where the Floridian had joked about Arm Deg’ due to the race’s unusually long distance of 250 miles. (147 laps)

Kyle finished second overall; entering the Laguna Seca finale in third, one point behind Christian Lundgaard. Yet His runner-up finish behind Scott McLaughlin saw Kirkwood claim His career best overall finish to date. Although once again, The Surgeon’, aka Alex Palou was untouchable enroute to a fifth IndyCar title, 86 points ahead. (631 v 545)

One has to chuckle now over Kirkwood losing out upon the Mazda Road to Indy Scholarship Shootout to fellow Floridian Oliver Askewy in 2016. As Kirkwood’s win tally between 2018 to 2021 is insane! Winning 46 of 67 races! A winning percentage of 68.657% if I’ve done my ryth-muh-tickin’ correctly?

Factoring His further nine U.S. F4 wins for a tally of 55 of88 races, which I believe is the original tally I came up with years ago? Equates to a diminished strike rate of only standing atop the podium 62.5% of the time, Aye Karumba!

Thus, this is one of the driver choices you could say I got right, Hya! As winning the coveted No Fenders nifSTAR trophy, if only we had one! Is probably as prestigious as winning Oilpressures Drive of the Day award, Eh!

NIFSTAR WINNERS

2018: Kyle Kirkwood

2017: Nico Jammin

2016: Zach Veach

2015: Shawn Rayhall

2014: Jack Harvey

2013: Conor Daly

2012: Tristan Nunez

2007: Marcus Wilkinson

For the 2017 nifSTAR Trophy Winner, please visit the following No fenders link below.

AWARDS: And the 2017 nifSTAR winner is…

Haas’s F1 Gong show

2026-10-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

As where’s the ‘Ol Cat-in-The-Hat’ when Yuhs need Him?

During the lead-up to this year’s Italian grand Prix, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu confirmed they were holding their own version of Jack Roush’s legendous’ gong Show for Esteban Ocon’s seat for 2027.

Back-in-the-day, Roush used to hold driver shoot-outs for His Trans Am team. As I still recall Robby dirtMann’ Gordon coming out on top for the Nasty Whistler Ford Mustang Trans Am car in the early 1990’s…

Ok, so my memory’s a little hazy. Since it was actually for Roush’s IMSA GTO entry, which Gordon drove that Nasty Whistler Radar sponsored Mustang in 1991, albeit He did run a Trans Am event in 1992.

“Ayao Komatsu says Esteban Ocon is competing with Ryo Hirakawa, Jack Doohan, Leonardo Fornaroli and Rafael Camara for one 2027 Haas drive.”

Although its worth noting that Haas F1 driver Oliver “Ollie” Beraman, a Ferrari Academy member is set to retain His drive for next season.

Hirakawa, Fornaroli and Camara tested at Jerez previously. With Doohan set to test at Jerez following the Spanish Grand Prix at Madrid.

Doohan is Haas’s reserve driver this year, while Hirakawa is backed by Toyota. Camara is a Ferrari Academy member, and Fornaroli is the reigning Formula 2 champion and McLaren F1 reserve driver.

Of these four aspiring drivers, I’d have to guess that Fornaroli is the leading candidate, but who knows, Eh? As politics could play a role in deciding. And who will Haas favour. Toyota or Ferrari? Both substantial Haas F1 backers.

As the latest scuttlebutt now puts Ferrari “Junior” Rafael Camara as the leading candidate at 90% certain, while only time will tell…

F1: alpine Boss Briatore making Waves Again

2026-10-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

But are we really surprised by this Italian’s panache for Controversy?

Once again, the man knowing no boundaries for controversy, HMS Monogram, aka Flavor Flav, nee Flavio Briatore is making waves again…

Recently, in the long running kerfuffle over the outcome of this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, with Alpine having first successfully appealed Alpine F1 driver Pierre Gasly being stripped of third place. Subsequent appeal by rival Formula 1 teams McLaren and Red Bull saw Gasly’s reinstatement overruled prior to this year’s Italian Grand Prix.

The row centers over Gasly having had two five second time penalties for speeding in pitlane overturned on appeal by Alpine, being the only team to do so, albeit multiple teams were handed speeding penalties, regardless of apparent technical issues with monitoring equipment…

The ever colourful Briatore, best known for incurring a lifetime ban from F1 over Renault’s infamous Crashgate, before being overturned. Extraordinarily accused one of the FIA’s International Court of Appeals (ICA) judges of being “very linked” to McLaren.

Stating we have a very nice photo of American judge Filippo Marchino speaking at a McLaren Special Operations (MSO) function in Beverly Hills, California while holding up a picture. And then claiming that McLaren had given two, or three McLaren cars to His foundation.

Naturally, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella seated next to Briatore during the FIA press conference found Briatore’s accusatory comments inflammatory and totally denied such nonsense!

While subsequently, the ICA has hit out at Briatore’s accusations by saying it was very odd that Alpine hadn’t raised such allegations twice during the initial appeals process.

FIA Court says Alpine raise no objections to Appeals panel list

With the ICA having overruled Alpine’s appeal, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar was reinstated as finishing third at Monaco, with Gasly dropping to seventh. A swing of nine points. With Alpine being sixth in the F1 Constructors Championship as of the Italian Grand Prix with 62 points, 13 behind now fifth place Racing Bulls with 75.

F1 Points standings after Monaco ruling – Alpine loses out

On a happier note, Pierre Gasly scored a shock, maiden F1 pole at Monza on His 189th Grand Prix start! The second longest streak for starts before a first pole. Surpassed only by Sergio Perez’s maiden pole on His 215th start at Jeddah in 2022, then driving for Red Bull.

Yet Gasly was swiftly overtaken by front row starter George Russell in the superior Mercedes and ultimately faded to seventh by race’s end.

The pole position at Monza’s renown “Temple of speed” was also Alpine’s debutante pole, in the guise of its latest team name. Since “Team Enstone” has a long, glorious and controversial history. Having won four F1 Drivers titles and three F1 Constructors crowns as Benetton and Renault, all under Briatore’s leadership.

Gasly was ranked 10th in the drivers’ standings following Monza with 41 points. His best finish being sixth at Shanghai International circuit. (China) With a total of eight top-10 finishes. (As of Round 13)

Teammate Franco Colapinto was 12th with 21 points. Also, with a best finish of sixth at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. (Montreal) With a total of seven top-10 finishes. (As of Round 13)

As Colapinto finished seventh at the new Madring circuit at Madrid a week later, with Gasly P12. Where thankfully, HMS Monogram’, (Briatore) kept his “Piehole” shut! And hopefully will just let the Monaco ruling stand and move along without stirring the pot any further this season…