Politics & Governance
Trump starts Washington IndyCar race won by Kirkwood
US President Donald Trump rode a ceremonial lap in his armored limousine and waved the green flag as Kyle Kirkwood won Washington's first IndyCar race, the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
Kirkwood won the 147-lap, 250-mile race in two hours, 40 minutes, 42.9548 seconds, beating Denmark's Christian Lundgaard by 3.09 seconds. Australia's Will Power finished third.
The race was held on a temporary 1.7-mile course past Washington landmarks including the US Capitol, the Washington Monument, the National Archives and Smithsonian museums. Cars reached speeds of up to 185 mph, or 298 km/h.
Trump created the event by executive order as part of commemorations for the 250th anniversary of the United States. He and First Lady Melania Trump took a pre-race lap in the presidential limousine before Trump started the race in front of the US Capitol.
Before the race, Trump greeted IndyCar series owner Roger Penske and seven Indianapolis 500 winners in the 25-driver field. Flyovers included a stealth bomber and Air Force One, and air traffic was paused at nearby Reagan National Airport for the race.
Penske president and Freedom 250 chairman Bud Denker said 215,000 people attended two days of events. IndyCar and Penske Racing paid most of the $35 million cost of staging the race.
Kirkwood held on after a late restart when New Zealand's Scott McLaughlin crashed while trying to pass him, then led to the finish.
IndyCar will consider whether to return to Washington. Penske said the series would meet next week to discuss it. Denker said Trump wants the race to return for five more years and said Melania Trump told organisers, "We look forward to seeing you next year."
Update
Bud Denker said 215,000 people attended two days of events.
The race time was two hours, 40 minutes, 42.9548 seconds.
Kyle Kirkwood was described as winning his seventh career IndyCar race.
Bud Denker said President Donald Trump wants the race to return for five more years and quoted First Lady Melania Trump as expecting a 2027 event.
Denker said organisers would decide whether to return and raised concern about matching this year's revenue.
Source note: AFP news report published on 23 August 2026 at 22:20:14 UTC.
Update
Kyle Kirkwood won the Washington IndyCar race, beating Christian Lundgaard by 3.09 seconds.
Will Power finished third and Marcus Ericsson fourth.
Alex Palou finished 20th, so he did not clinch the season title in Washington.
Scott McLaughlin crashed into a tire barrier with 19 laps remaining while trying to pass Kirkwood.
Donald Trump waved the green flag after a ceremonial lap in his armored limousine with Melania Trump.
Source note: AFP news report published on 23 August 2026 at 20:37:59 UTC.
Update
President Donald Trump rode a ceremonial lap in his armored limousine before the race.
Trump waved the green flag to start the Washington IndyCar race.
Air traffic was paused at nearby Reagan National Airport because of the race.
IndyCar and Penske Racing are paying much of the $35 million cost, with sponsor support.
Source note: AFP news report published on 23 August 2026 at 17:40:09 UTC.
Update
Practice and qualifying began on Saturday on the temporary Washington street circuit.
Alex Palou took pole position with a qualifying lap of 56.899 seconds after leading practice with a 56.614-second lap.
Organizers expect up to 100,000 people to attend Sunday's race, with President Donald Trump among them.
Drivers described bumps on the circuit, including on Pennsylvania Avenue and near turns two and six.
Bud Denker said the event was prepared in seven months, work he said usually takes two years.
Source note: AFP news report published on 22 August 2026 at 22:51:49 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
IndyCar has not announced whether the Washington race will return in 2027 or for later years.
Denker said he was concerned about raising the same kind of revenue if the event returns.
Source
AFP news report published on .