IndyCar is holding its first race in D.C. today. Here's what to know.
CBS News · LC · trust 68/100
Updated on: August 23, 2026 / 4:57 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington — Twenty-five cars traveling at top speeds approaching 180 mph zoomed around the National Mall this weekend as the racing series IndyCar took over downtown D.C. for a race commemorating the nation's 250th birthday .
American Kyle Kirkwood took home the win while Denmark's Christian Lundgaard was the runner-up. Kirkwood's teammates Will Power and Marcus Ericsson came in third and fourth.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., attracted thousands of fans to the National Mall, according to CBS affiliate WUSA , on Saturday ahead of Sunday's main event. The event was the first major auto race in the capital in more than 24 years.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump completed a slow lap around the course to kick off the race on Sunday, which had been in the works for more than a year. Mr. Trump waved a green flag to signal the official start of the event, prompting drivers to begin speeding through the city's downtown area. The race course included a section of Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House.
On Sunday morning, the White House posted on its official social media accounts , "WAKE UP, IT'S RACE DAY."
The area around the track has been transformed over the past several weeks to make way for the construction of grandstands and enormous barriers, with large portions of the area blocked off to traffic and pedestrians. The race disrupted several popular tourist destinations around the Mall and limited access to those with tickets to the event.
"I didn't know if it was going to be fun or not to drive. It's a blast, super fun," series points leader Alex Palou said after a morning practice session Saturday, according to The Associated Press. "Very bumpy, huge bumps heading into Turn 2 and Turn 6. Massive bumps that are going to spice things up."
Here's what to know about the D.C. IndyCar race:
IndyCar is one of the world's leading open-wheel racing series, generally regarded as second only to Formula 1 in global popularity and prestige. The series is among the fastest racing categories, with cars capable of reaching 230 mph. Its premier event is the Indianapolis 500, one of three races that constitute the "triple crown of motorsport."
This weekend's race was IndyCar's first in the nation's capital and featured 25 drivers. The race itself began at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, but cars were on track on Saturday as well, given how an IndyCar race weekend is structured.
The drivers had two practice sessions on Saturday. Those sessions allowed the drivers and their teams to get accustomed to the racetrack and try out different car setups and strategies, which is especially important on an unfamiliar track.
Qualifying for the race took place on Saturday evening. In qualifying, drivers compete to set the fastest lap over three rounds, with slower drivers eliminated after the first and second rounds. The final results set the grid — who starts where — for the race itself.
A special exhibition — the International Race of Champions, or IROC — took place on a track Saturday in between IndyCar sessions.
The track is 1.7 miles long and features six left-hand turns and one to the right. In a nod to the country's birthday, the race is 250 miles long, or 147 laps.
The starting grid is directly to the west of the U.S. Capitol on Third Street Northwest. The cars then take a left and speed down Pennsylvania Avenue, before another left-hand turn down Ninth Street Northwest past the National Archives.
The track then briefly goes down Constitution Avenue, past the National Gallery of Art. Drivers will hang a right down Seventh Street Northwest, cutting across the National Mall to reach Independence Avenue Southwest. The track took the drivers past the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and National Museum of the American Indian before hitting Maryland Avenue Southwest and looping back to the starting line in front of the Capitol.
IndyCar also released a more detailed map showing gates, amenities and other information for attendees here .
Fox Sports is IndyCar's broadcast partner and showed the weekend's action on various Fox platforms. The network released a full schedule of its coverage plans last week.
Saturday's IndyCar practice sessions and qualifying were broadcast on FS1 and FS2, Fox Sports' cable channels. On Sunday, a 90-minute pre-show and the Grand Prix was shown on the Fox broadcast network.
All of Fox's coverage could be streamed on the Fox One app as well.
IndyCar is owned by Penske Entertainment, a subsidiary of Penske Corp., whose president is Bud Denker. Denker is also the chairman of the Grand Prix and has been instrumental in planning for the race.
"This is my dream, a little over a year ago, to bring an IndyCar race to our nation's capital," he said during a press preview on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
Denker told NPR he envisioned a race to celebrate America's 250th birthday over a beer with Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks last year. But it almost didn't happen. Congress needed to approve his plan to host the race on Capitol grounds. After pitching his idea, Denker was running into roadblocks on Capitol Hill and didn't have the votes to get it approved.
He told NBC Washington that on Jan. 21, he had 51 people to call, from leaders in Congress to the White House, to say it looked like the race wasn't happening. Then, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called him and suggested the race could move forward under an executive order, with the route adjusted to avoid congressional jurisdiction.
Mr. Trump signed the order in January, laying the groundwork for the revised race. The directive instructed Duffy and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to locate and designate the route, and secure the proper permits and approvals. The track was finalized in March.
"INDYCAR racing is a source of pride and entertainment for our Nation, which is why I am pleased to announce the Freedom 250 Grand…
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