INDIANAPOLIS — IndyCar’s Andretti Global team picked up a recognizable consumer sponsor for the season-opening race on the streets of St. Petersburg.
On Jan. 14, Chili’s Grill & Bar, a leader in the casual dining industry and the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc., will serve as the primary partner on the No. 27 Chili’s Honda of Kyle Kirkwood at the 2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida.
It’s the NTT IndyCar Series season opening race and will mark the debut for Chili’s in North America’s premier open-wheel racing series.
Delivery complete 🤝
We are excited to welcome Chili’s as the primary partner on the No. 27 Honda of Kyle Kirkwood for the season opener on the Streets of St. Pete 🌶️ pic.twitter.com/PQH08JNAKR
— Andretti INDYCAR & INDY NXT (@AndrettiIndy) January 14, 2025
“It’s great to have Chili’s support of Kyle’s entry for the season opening race in St. Petersburg,” said Andretti Global Chief Commercial Officer Doug Bresnahan. “As a new sponsor with our IndyCar program, I’m excited to see the impact of the partnership with our fans as well as Chili’s customers and employees.
“Chili’s has established a strong presence in motorsports through their NASCAR partnership, and we are excited to expand their exposure within the sport of IndyCar.”
Prior to partnering with Andretti IndyCar, Chili’s made its major motorsports debut at the 2024 Daytona 500, challenging fans to ‘Catch-a-Rita’ with a livery dedicated to the brand’s famous Presidente Margarita and covered with QR codes leading fans to redeem gift cards for margaritas.
Thanks in part to these efforts, three days after finishing fourth, Chili’s sold more than 200,000 margaritas on National Margarita Day. In addition to a successful debut at NASCAR’s top level, Chili’s wallpapered its entire menu on a NASCAR truck at the brand’s home track, Texas Motor Speedway, bringing to life the ‘Follow Me to Chili’s’ mantra that fans will see on Kirkwood’s No. 27 Chili’s Honda on the Streets of St. Petersburg.
“It’s a true honor to represent Chili’s for the first race of the season,” Kirkwood said. “There’s immense excitement within our team to have Chili’s on board. We all love Chili’s — especially their chips and salsa! 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for Andretti Global, and
“I look forward to carrying Chili’s along to victory in St. Petersburg.”
Back for his fourth season in the NTT IndyCar Series, and third with Andretti IndyCar, Kirkwood heads into the 2025 season with hopes of continuing the pole-winning momentum he closed out the 2024 season with at Nashville Superspeedway.
Kirkwood’s Chili’s car will take to the track on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Feb. 28 – March 2.
“When the opportunity to expand our motorsports program in 2025 with Andretti and Kyle Kirkwood came up, we didn’t need much convincing,” said Chili’s Grill & Bar Chief Marketing Officer George Felix. “We teamed up with Spire Motorsports last year because we had a strong belief that race fans are also Chili’s fans, and that was confirmed time and time again.
“Coupling our 50-year legacy with an unmatched name like Andretti is an ideal way to expand our racing footprint this year, and we can’t wait to invite more race fans to Chili’s this year.”
