Kirkwood Wins Inaugural Freedom 250 in Washington D.C.

American driver Kyle Kirkwood won the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday, capturing a historic IndyCar victory on the streets of Washington, D.C. The 27-year-old, driving the No. 27 Sams Club Honda for Andretti Global, led 128 of 147 laps to claim his second win of the 2026 season by a margin of 3.09 seconds over Christian Lundgaard.

The race, held on a temporary 1.7-mile circuit around the National Mall, was organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended the event, with the President waving the green flag to start the race at approximately 1:18 p.m. EDT after completing a ceremonial lap in the presidential limousine. Air Force One and fighter jets also performed a flyover before the start.

Kirkwood took the lead from polesitter Álex Palou early on and controlled the race for much of the afternoon, building a lead that at times exceeded 15 seconds. A series of cautions, including one caused by a major crash on lap 36 that eliminated David Malukas and Sting Ray Robb, and a late spin by championship leader Palou, compressed the field multiple times.

A pivotal restart on lap 128 saw second-place...