Kirkwood Wins First IndyCar Race on Washington Streets

The first-ever IndyCar race on the streets of Washington, D.C., took place on Sunday, August 23, 2026, as President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump presided over the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a historic event created to celebrate America's 250th anniversary. Twenty-five drivers competed on a temporary 1.7-mile circuit that wound past the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol, completing 147 laps in a spectacle that transformed the nation's capital into a racing venue for the first time.

President Trump, accompanied by the first lady in the presidential limousine known as "The Beast," took an honorary lap before waving the green flag to start the race. The event was organized following an executive order the president signed earlier in the year, directing the Secretaries of the Interior and Transportation to help establish the race. According to President Trump, IndyCar and Team Penske owner Roger Penske had pursued a Washington race for two decades without success until the project was finalized during a brief meeting with him.

"IndyCar racing is a source of pride and entertainment for our Nation," Trump stated in the order, which framed the race as a showcase of American...