Some of the fastest cars in the world are coming to the District’s streets for an IndyCar race on Aug. 23.
City and federal officials unveiled the route for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Monday, showcasing a track that serpentines around the National Mall.
The green flag will drop directly in front of the Capitol, between the landmark and the Washington Monument.
The 1.7-mile track features seven turns, including a stretch on Pennsylvania Avenue before shifting onto 3rd Street. Drivers will then move toward Constitution Avenue, past the Air and Space Museum, before racing up 7th Street, around the National Archives and back onto Pennsylvania.
Each lap is expected to last between 53 and 55 seconds, with drivers reaching speeds above 180 mph on the seven-turn course.
“We’re going to honor our country, honor our nation with unparalleled spectacles that people have never seen before, with cars and drivers racing around the nation’s capital, around the nation’s mall at speeds of 180-plus miles per hour,” Bud Denker, the event’s chairman and the president of the Penske Corporation, said Monday. “It’ll truly be a memorable event to celebrate our country’s anniversary.”
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix will operate as a nonprofit organization through a series of partnerships with local and federal officials, IndyCar, Fox Sports, Penske and Monumental Sports. Proceeds from the event will be donated to D.C.-area charities, organizers said Monday.
The race, which is expected to draw approximately 1 million attendees, will be free to spectators.
“For everybody that’s going to be here, no matter which way you look, this is going to be the most distinctly American sporting event we’ve ever had,” said Eric Shanks, the chief executive at Fox Sports.
“This is the most apropos sporting event. Because before we had bats, before we had balls, before we had hoops, the original sport was just: who’s fastest?”
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined …
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Free tickets to the event will be available starting in early April, the organizers said. No official economic estimates were released Monday. Mr. Denker cited the $100 million in economic impact of the Detroit Grand Prix as a possible baseline.
The city is mired in planning for a handful of marquee events, including the 2027 NFL Draft on the National Mall and a June UFC event on the White House’s South Lawn.
“We are the sports capital,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday. “Very frequently, people only think of us as monuments and memorials. We want you to think of those too, but also think about our world-class sports and entertainment right here in D.C.”
Federal officials and IndyCar leaders said they’d spent several months trying to finalize a race plan to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary. By joining forces — and pitching the idea to President Trump — the race organizers quickly devised a layout and schedule for the first-ever IndyCar race on the National Mall.
“It’s going to be hot in August. The city kind of falls away. People go to the beach. Congress usually isn’t in session,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “We’re going to bring throngs of Americans into our capital city, and we are going to celebrate our birthday with a free, awesome IndyCar race.”
The race was always going to be IndyCar drivers as opposed to F1 or NASCAR racers, organizers said.
“This is the most unique thing I’ve ever seen in motorsport. I’ve been racing for 15 years professionally and I’ve certainly never done anything like this,” said IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden, a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion. “What I hope people take from this event is the inspiration of automobile racing. If you’re going to bring a race to the Capital, why wouldn’t it be IndyCar?”
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix is part of a yearlong celebration honoring the 250th anniversary of American independence.
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Mr. Trump ordered federal and District officials to help orchestrate the event through an executive order signed in January.
“We’re celebrating greatness with American motor racing,” Mr. Trump told reporters in January. “And I said, pick our best site. It’s very important. Pick the best site. Don’t go for second or third because there are a lot of different routes. I said pick, even if it’s more difficult to get approved, pick the absolute best site.”
The District has hosted a similar event just once. The short-lived American Le Mans Series ran the Cadillac Grand Prix in the streets around RFK Stadium in 2002. The race never returned to the District after widespread complaints from residents regarding noise, traffic complications and environmental impacts.
This year’s race route — far from any residential areas — will likely dodge the noise complaints. Traffic complaints could arise, though. The organizers will shut down several streets beginning the week before the race for construction, including the establishment of safety fences.
The event is scheduled to begin with practice sessions and qualifying runs on Aug. 21, with the race itself on Aug. 23. The festivities, like all IndyCar races, will air live on Fox Sports.
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