Kyle Kirkwood doesn’t hold back on Will Power’s ‘absurd’ move on the Detroit Street Circuit

As the 27-driver grid hit the Detroit Street Circuit after an intense month of the Indy 500 and its festivities, an unusual move by Team Penske's Will Power on Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood raised eyebrows. Post the outing on the track, Kirkwood made his feelings known.

IndyCar veteran Will Power sparked controversy during a practice session when he collided with Kyle Kirkwood’s car. The incident took place at Turn 5, where Power aggressively shoved Kirkwood along the track, resulting in damage to the floor and gearbox casing of Kirkwood’s Andretti vehicle.

The commentators witnessed Power locking onto the rear of Kyle Kirkwood’s car and forcefully pushing him through Turns 5 and 6, right in front of the Renaissance Center, and expressed their shock over what they witnessed. IndyCar on FOX's X handle referred to it as 'Chrome Horn,' where the front bumper of a car bumps another vehicle to inform the driver that the first car intends to pass.

In response to what he experienced, the Andretti driver made his feelings known via X (formerly Twitter).

"This is without a doubt the most absurd thing I’ve had happen to me at a racetrack," Kirkwood wrote.

Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas react to controversial clash between Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood

NTT IndyCar Series PPG 375 - Source: Getty

Kyle Kirkwood remained calm throughout the incident and later even explained that Will Power got frustrated because the street course is massively narrow and has little space to maneuver. Other IndyCar pilots also reacted to the incident.

Christian Lundgaard, who drives for Arrow McLaren, explained the difficulty of having 27 cars on a track that is so small. Notably, Detroit Street Circuit is the shortest one on the calendar.

"What makes it difficult here is it's such a short track. We have 27 cars going on a 1.6-mile track. It doesn't really add up. It's frustrating, but at the end of the day, it's the same for everyone," said the second runner-up in the championship standings (via Detroit Free Press).

David Malukas of A. J. Foyt Racing, who was ahead of the incident where Power latched onto another car, initially mistook the trailing car for Marcus Ericsson rather than Kyle Kirkwood. He described the moment as something straight out of a movie. Malukas said

"I couldn't believe it. I was very confused at the start. I thought, like, something was wrong with Ericsson, and Power was towing him across, like the 'Cars' movie."

Malukas further expressed that some 'inviting' aspects of the circuit may bait drivers and cause caution periods.

"I'll be surprised if there's not going to be a yellow (flag) for this race," he said. "Turn 1, it's very wide on entry, and it looks inviting. And then all of a sudden, it gets very, very tight on exit. And it happens a lot around this track."

The 27-driver grid will be in action at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, which is scheduled for June 1.