Freedom 250 Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
15th round of the 2026 IndyCar season
| |||
 Layout of the circuit | |||
| Date | August 23, 2026 | ||
| Official name | Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. | ||
| Location | Washington Street Circuit, Washington, D.C. | ||
| Course | Temporary street circuit 1.700 mi / 2.736 km | ||
| Distance | 147[N 1] laps 250 mi / 402.336 km | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver |  Álex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing) | ||
| Time | 56.8993 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Will Power (Andretti Global) | ||
| Time | 0:57.9495 (on lap 122 of 147[N 2]) | ||
| Podium | |||
| First |  Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Global) | ||
| Second |  Christian Lundgaard (Arrow McLaren) | ||
| Third | Will Power (Andretti Global) | ||
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. was an NTT IndyCar Series motor race held on August 23, 2026, at the 1.7 mi (2.7 km) Washington Street Circuit in Washington, D.C. It was the fifteenth round of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series.[1] The race consisted of 147 laps, extended from the originally scheduled 125 laps.
Kyle Kirkwood won the race, followed by Christian Lundgaard and Will Power on the podium.
Background
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On January 23, 2026, months after the NTT IndyCar Series' 2026 schedule was released,[2] United States President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video of a proposed 'D.C. Grand Prix' motor race to Truth Social as part of the Department of Transportation's push to host an IndyCar Series race on the streets of Washington, D.C. for the United States Semiquincentennial.[3][4] The race was officially announced on January 30, with Trump signing an executive order authorizing the race.[5][6] It was the first major motor race to be held at Washington, D.C. since the 2002 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. American Le Mans Series race[7] and the second event held in proximity to the White House along with the UFC Freedom 250.[8] The order instructed the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Transportation to design the course layout within fourteen days and to "ensure that all permits, approvals, and other authorizations ... are issued and granted as expeditiously as possible".[9][10]
The executive order also instructed the two Secretaries, in coordination with Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser, to "ensure that any roads, trails, or bridges to be used as part of the race course are properly maintained and capable of being used in such a manner".[11] More than 200 manholes were welded down because they may have otherwise been road hazards.[12] The street circuit was composed around the National Mall.[9][10]
Race promotion
[edit]
In February 2026, IndyCar (the NTT IndyCar Series' governing body) announced a partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment to support the promotion and commercial development of the race.[13] Under the agreement, Monumental was appointed as the event’s official agency for marketing, sponsorship sales, and corporate hospitality. Its role includes securing commercial partners and coordinating hospitality activities associated with the race weekend. IndyCar stated that the collaboration was intended to draw on Monumental’s experience in hosting large-scale sporting and entertainment events in the Washington metropolitan area.[14]
In May 2026, IndyCar launched an officially licensed T-shirt with the slogan "One Nation, One Race" around an IndyCar Series driver posed in a manner similar to the Lincoln Memorial.[15] In an email to The Athletic, IndyCar said: "A shirt was removed from IndyCar’s online store following feedback from customers. We understand that some individuals found its phrasing concerning and therefore have remedied the situation."[16] Reuters summarized the internet backlash as "fans objected to language they said could be interpreted as white-supremacist" [17]
Freedom 250 Grand Prix showcase
[edit]On July 13, President Donald Trump invited drivers (David Malukas, Álex Palou and Felix Rosenqvist) and personnel (including Roger Penske) to the White House for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix showcase. Malukas and his Team Penske crew performed a pit stop demonstration in front of the West Wing.
Entry list
[edit]The entry list includes the 25 chartered, full-time IndyCar Series entries.[18] There were no part-time or "one-off" entries.[19] All entries used a spec Dallara DW12 chassis with the UAK-18 universal aero kit and the 2020-adopted aeroscreen. Honda (HRC US) and Chevrolet (Ilmor) are the engine providers. Firestone is the exclusive tire supplier. This is the third season of hybrid energy recovery system powertrains in IndyCar.[20]
Going into the race, Álex Palou led the 2026 IndyCar Series points championship, with a 133-point lead over Kyle Kirkwood. Palou led the drivers this season with six victories and six pole positions before the race Josef Newgarden and Christian Lundgaard had two wins each going into the race. Kyle Kirkwood, Pato O'Ward, Marcus Ericsson, and Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist each had one win.
- R IndyCar Series rookie
Practice and qualifying
[edit]
Practice 1
[edit]The first practice session was held Saturday August 22, beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. The session was divided into three groups. Due to overnight rain, the first session was declared "wet", with cars utilizing rain tires. Christian Lundgaard, Will Power, and Christian Rasmussen, all made light clipping contact with walls, but no major incidents were reported. About 25 minutes into the session, the track surface had dried sufficiently, and competitors switched to slick tires.[21]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Kyle Kirkwood |
Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian | Honda | 57.3744 |
| 2 | 10 | Álex Palou |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 57.6123 |
| 3 | 19 |  Dennis Hauger R |
Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 57.7381 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
Practice 2
[edit]The second and final practice session was held Saturday August 22, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Álex Palou posted the fastest lap of the day, with an unofficial track record of 56.6145 seconds. Graham Rahal and Louis Foster, both of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, suffered damage after hitting bumps approaching turn 6, and subsequently making contact with the concrete wall. No injuries were reported.[22]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Álex Palou |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 56.6145 |
| 2 | 27 | Kyle Kirkwood |
Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian | Honda | 56.6911 |
| 3 | 9 |  Scott Dixon |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 56.8180 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
Qualifying
[edit]The qualifying session was held on Saturday August 22 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Álex Palou won his seventh pole position of the season.
Warmup
[edit]The warmup session was held Sunday August 23, at 9:15 a.m. ET. Overnight, track crews attempted to grind down bumps along the straightaway leading into turn six. All 25 cars took laps, with Josef Newgarden setting the fastest lap. No incidents were reported.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Josef Newgarden |
Team Penske | Chevrolet | 57.6076 |
| 2 | 10 | Álex Palou |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 57.6858 |
| 3 | 12 | David Malukas |
Team Penske | Chevrolet | 57.8364 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
Race
[edit]
The race was held on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at 1:00 PM ET.
Championship standings after the race
[edit]
|
|
- Note: Only the top five positions are included.
Broadcasting
[edit]Television
[edit]The race was televised live on Fox in the second year of a multi-year contract with the series. Practice and qualifying was aired on FS1 and FS2. Will Buxton served as the lead commentator with driver analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell.[23] Pre-race host Chris Myers and analyst Danica Patrick returned to the crew after serving in those roles at the Indianapolis 500. They were joined by Fox newcomer Hélio Castroneves.[24]
| Fox | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pre/Post-race | Pit reporters |
| Announcer: Will Buxton Color: Townsend Bell Color: James Hinchcliffe |
Host: Chris Myers Analyst: Helio Castroneves Analyst: Danica Patrick Features: Tom Rinaldi |
Kevin Lee Georgia Henneberry Jack Harvey Jamie Little |
Radio
[edit]The race was broadcast by INDYCAR Radio. The chief announcer is Mark Jaynes in his eleventh year as chief announcer, and 31st year overall with the network. The broadcast was be carried on 32 terrestrial radio affiliates in the United States, along with SiriusXM and online streaming.[25]
| IMS Radio Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth Announcers | Turn Reporter | Pit/garage reporters |
| Chief Announcer: Mark Jaynes Driver analyst: Matthew Brabham |
Jake Query | Alex Wollf Jonathan Grace |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "2026 Schedule" (PDF). IndyCar. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ↑ "INDYCAR Announces 17-Race 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Schedule". IndyCar. September 16, 2025. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
- ↑ Barnes, Joey (January 28, 2026). "D.C. race "would be massive opportunity for IndyCar" says Rahal". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on January 28, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- ↑ Morik, Ryan; Trimble, Grady (January 23, 2026). "Trump administration pushing for IndyCar race on National Mall for America250". Fox News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- ↑ Kapur, Sahil (January 30, 2026). "Trump orders up IndyCar race on the streets of Washington for 'America250 Grand Prix'". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 22, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ↑ DeGroot, Nick (January 30, 2026). "Donald Trump signs executive order confirming IndyCar race in Washington D.C." Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ↑ Becket, Stefan; Watson, Kathryn (August 21, 2026). "The IndyCar race in D.C. is taking over the capital this weekend. Here's what to know". CBS News. Archived from the original on August 22, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- ↑ "The Freedom 250 Continues The History Of DC Races Celebrating America's Birthday". Citizens' Voice News. August 21, 2026. Archived from the original on August 23, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- 1 2 "Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. Coming in August". IndyCar. January 30, 2026. Archived from the original on January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- 1 2 "IndyCar announces Freedom 250 GP of Washington, D.C. as 18th race". Racer. January 30, 2026. Archived from the original on May 29, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Celebrating American Greatness with American Motor Racing". The White House. January 30, 2026. Archived from the original on January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ↑ Turner, Tyrone; Berger, Ava (August 24, 2026). "Washington, D.C.'s first IndyCar race packed the National Mall". WAMU News. Retrieved October 4, 2026.
- ↑ "IndyCar and Monumental Sports & Entertainment announce partnership to fuel Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C." (Press release). PR Newswire. February 3, 2026. Archived from the original on August 22, 2026. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
- ↑ Barnes, Joey (February 5, 2026). "IndyCar partners with Monumental Sports & Entertainment for Washington, D.C. street race". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on August 23, 2026. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
- ↑ Lawrence, Andrew (May 14, 2026). "IndyCar's 'One Nation, One Race' controversy is no surprise amid its rightward drift". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 29, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- ↑ Anderson, Curt (May 7, 2026). "IndyCar removes Freedom 250 T-shirt from online store in wake of backlash". The New York Times.
- ↑ "IndyCar T-shirt withdrawn after slogan causes outrage". Reuters.
- ↑ Cavin, Curt (January 6, 2026). "All Eyes on 2026: An INDYCAR SERIES Season Loaded With Intrigue". IndyCar. Archived from the original on January 6, 2026. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ↑ Pruett, Marshall (April 28, 2026). "IndyCar finalizes rule restricting non-charter entries to Indy 500 only after 2026". Racer. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
- ↑ Pruett, Marshall (May 14, 2024). "IndyCar confirms hybrid debut for Mid-Ohio". Racer. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ↑ Kelly, Paul (August 22, 2026). "Top Two Title Fighters Lead Historic Opening Practice in D.C." IndyCar.com. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
- ↑ Kelly, Paul (August 22, 2026). "Alex Palou Again Comes to Grips Quickly With New D.C. Circuit". IndyCar.com. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
- ↑ "FOX Sports Opens 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season With Three Consecutive Weekends of Racing on FOX". Fox Sports. February 18, 2026. Archived from the original on March 7, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ↑ "How to Watch 2026 INDYCAR Freedom 250: Start Time, Date, TV Channel, Streaming, Schedule". FoxSports.com. August 21, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C Radio Affiliates" (PDF). IndyCarRadio.com. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
External links
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