Kyle Kirkwood grabbed the lead early and never gave it up, winning the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday, the first professional motorsports road race ever run through the streets of Washington, D.C. Christian Lundgaard finished second and Will Power took third.
The race
Cars ran 147 laps of a 1.7-mile, seven-turn temporary circuit looping past the National Gallery of Art, the National Archives and the Capitol, reaching speeds near 200 mph. President Trump, who established the race by executive order in January to mark the country's 250th anniversary, and first lady Melania Trump took an honorary lap to open the event. Around 150,000 spectators attended, using roughly 100,000 free general-admission tickets alongside Champions Club seats priced at $5,000 and suites running $250,000 or more.
Cost and criticism
The event carried a roughly $35 million budget, among the most expensive in IndyCar history, with the Penske Corporation covering the vast majority of costs and the District covering limited street repairs, to be reimbursed by organizers. The National Gallery of Art boarded its windows and shielded outdoor sculptures ahead of the race over vibration concerns for its historic New Deal-era murals, and Sunday flights at nearby airports were paused for roughly three hours. Several race sponsors, including Boeing, Verizon, WillScot and Gulfstream, hold government contracts, drawing scrutiny given the event's ties to the administration. IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward remarked before the race that it would be "ironic" if he, a Mexican driver, were the one to win it, given the administration's immigration stance toward Mexico.
