Bryan Herta, widely known as Colton Herta’s father and former race strategist, transitioned to become Kyle Kirkwood’s strategist at Andretti Global in 2023. This change followed Colton’s move to Andretti Global in 2021, where Bryan initially took on the role of guiding his son during races. The swap between the two drivers’ strategists came just after the start of the 2023 IndyCar season and marked a significant shift within the team’s dynamics.

Evolution of Bryan Herta’s role as race strategist from father to new driver

Bryan Herta began directing race strategies for his son Colton in 2021, supporting him through a period during which Colton secured four wins. Before this partnership, Colton had debuted in IndyCar back in 2018 with Harding Racing, and his transfer to Andretti Global coincided with Bryan’s involvement as strategist. However, after just one race into the 2023 season, Andretti Global announced a strategic swap: Bryan would become Kyle Kirkwood’s race strategist while Colton started working with Scott Harner.

Despite some historical challenges for drivers partnered with their fathers in IndyCar—such as Michael-Marco Andretti and Bobby-Graham Rahal—not all father–son strategist relationships have struggled. Bryan and Colton Herta’s partnership, in fact, resulted in notable successes, even if the 2022 season saw a decline in Colton’s championship position compared to prior years. Whereas Colton had finished third and fifth in 2020 and 2021, respectively, he fell to tenth place in 2022, reflecting a downturn in overall results.

Reasons behind the strategist swap and reactions from drivers

The decision to exchange strategists came after a tough opening race for both Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood in 2023. This move was particularly unexpected because Kirkwood and his previous strategist Scott Harner had a strong connection dating back to Kyle’s rookie season with Andretti Fernandez Racing. When questioned about the switch, Colton expressed uncertainty but respected the team’s choice, stating:

“I don’t know why they changed it, but do I think a needed change would have changed the result of the race? No, It was a team decision, that’s all I’m going to say.” —Colton Herta

Kyle Kirkwood also shared his perspective, noting some speculation about the influence of family relationships on the change, but ultimately accepting the rationale given by the team:

“I don’t know what it is with the family deal, I don’t know if they want to separate that, but they just said this was best for the team and they think it’s going to be really good for me, and they feel Colton is ready for Scott.” —Kyle Kirkwood

Bryan Herta’s commendation of Kyle Kirkwood following Detroit Grand Prix success

Kyle Kirkwood quickly demonstrated positive results under Bryan Herta’s strategic guidance, becoming one of the few drivers to secure race victories in the 2025 IndyCar season besides championship leader Alex Palou. Following Kirkwood’s win at the Detroit Grand Prix, Bryan praised his driver’s performance and growth, highlighting the promising trajectory Kirkwood has shown over recent months:

“Kyle’s been great. He’s having a really strong season. He’s had great results on a number of different types of tracks. I think we saw a lot of that starting to manifest in second half of last year. The (oval) pole at Nashville, and some things where he was showing a lot of excellence in areas that we hadn’t seen from him yet. I think that’s just a great indication of his continued growth and improvement.” —Bryan Herta

In addition to the Detroit GP victory, Kirkwood also clinched first place at the World Wide Technology Raceway, marking his third win of the year and underscoring the effectiveness of the new strategist–driver partnership within Andretti Global.

Impact and future outlook for Andretti Global’s driver-strategist relationships

The swap of race strategists between Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood not only brought a new dynamic within Andretti Global but also reinforced Bryan Herta’s adaptability and strategic acumen beyond guiding his own son. Kirkwood’s success under Bryan’s leadership marks a promising chapter for both the driver and the strategist, signaling potential for further growth as the season progresses. Meanwhile, Colton’s readiness to work with Scott Harner suggests a fresh start that could help him regain momentum following a challenging 2022 season.

This strategic reshuffling reflects Andretti Global’s commitment to optimizing performance by exploring new team configurations, a move that could influence how other teams approach combining driver skills with tactical expertise in future races.