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The streets around the National Mall were packed with fans on Saturday as IndyCar racers reached speeds of up to 185mph around the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol in the Trump-commissioned Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. The race has proved to be one of the defining signature events of America’s 250th birthday celebrations — the first-ever IndyCar Series race in the nation’s capital.
The 147-lap, 250-mile Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. airs live on FOX this Sunday. An expected 200,000 fans will be on hand on the National Mall, between the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol — free admission, no tickets, no VIP corporate areas.
“This is surreal for all of us drivers,” said American Kyle Kirkwood, who posted the second-fastest practice lap at 56.691 seconds. “The history, going around the museums, the monument, the Capitol building — in 30 years time, we’ll look back on this and say it was one of the best races of our lives.”
Alex Palou — the season points leader with six wins in 2026 — captured pole position with a qualifying lap of 56.899 seconds, after a White House visit earlier in the week. “Such a privilege to be here racing around all these monuments,” Palou said.
President Trump signed the executive order authorizing the race in January, directing the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Transportation to design the course and fast-track every permit. What normally takes two years was delivered in seven months.
“President Trump and the rest of the Cabinet did a great job making this happen. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Freedom 250 chairman and Penske Corporation president Bud Denker.
The course is approximately 1.7 miles long with 7 turns, weaving down Pennsylvania Avenue before turning onto the National Mall, past the Air and Space Museum and through the National Gallery of Art corridor, before returning to the Washington Monument and crossing the start-finish line in front of the U.S. Capitol.
The event is entirely free — no tickets, no VIP sections — designed to let as many Americans as possible attend and celebrate 250 years of their country with IndyCars flying past the monuments their ancestors built.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown summed it up: “I can’t think of a cooler setting when you’re looking at the Capitol in the background. I’m already hoping there’s a year two.”
The race starts at 1:10 PM ET Sunday on FOX. America is 250 years old. The show goes on.
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