WASHINGTON — Blasting down these iconic and bumpy streets with a view of the U.S. Capitol from his car, Florida native Kyle Kirkwood took the checkered flag to win a once-in-a-lifetime IndyCar race on a sunny Sunday.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix was an elaborate 250-mile spectacle with few expenses spared to celebrate the country’s semiquincentennial, bringing the city a rare blend of power, money and speed.
Kirkwood, who races for Andretti Global, started second but took the lead on the opening lap with a daring maneuver around the outside of pole-sitter and championship leader Alex Palou in front of the National Archives. From there he proved unbeatable.
Reaching top speeds of about 180 mph during the weekend, the cars zipped down Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House, the longest straight on the track. They raced past the D.C. courthouse and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum on the seven-corner track.
“You can’t even put it in words. This is incredible,” Kirkwood said in a postrace interview. “Man, that was a hard race. One hundred forty-seven laps. I’m out of breath right now.”
President Donald Trump, who joined forces with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to launch the race in January on short notice, waved the green flag to start the race. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy waved the checkered flag to end it.
Trump sought to place himself at the center of the action, taking a “lap of honor” in the armored presidential limousine nicknamed “The Beast” ahead of the race and arranging an Air Force One flyover. It was one of seven waves of military flyovers in the preshow, capped with a pass from all six branches of the military with a B-2 bomber as the centerpiece.
To hype the race, Trump hosted numerous events at the White House featuring IndyCar drivers and officials. He posed for a photo on the grid with first lady Melania Trump and several racers.
After it became clear that Congress would reject an originally planned loop around the Capitol because of advertising restrictions on the grounds, Trump issued an executive order green-lighting the modified course.
“We were going around the Capitol, but this turned out to be a better track — and so now we see the Capitol,” Trump told race broadcaster Fox Sports. “You see it right behind you. And I want everyone to be safe, and I want the people to have a good time.”
The race also drew a long list of corporate sponsors, including Boeing, Starlink, Delta, Amazon and Shell. Several have major business interests before the federal government, putting some of the same companies seeking action from Washington front and center at the high-profile event.
The race weekend featured two practice sessions Saturday, followed by qualifying in late afternoon to set the grid and a warmup Sunday before the Grand Prix.
While officials have previewed the potential for it to become an annual spectacle, IndyCar has no plans to return to Washington for another race.
Ahead of the race, drivers marveled at the spectacular views from inside their helmets. David Malukas told NBC News that seeing Washington’s iconic landmarks could pose a unique challenge for him and other drivers.
“I think out of any track we’ve been to, this is the most distracting, especially coming out from that back straightaway. They’re leading into the Capitol building,” he said.
Malukas crashed one turn later on Lap 37, bringing out the caution flag and causing most of the field to pit for fresh tires. Palou was given a drive-through penalty for a pit stop infringement, ending his hopes of victory. He later hit the wall and broke his front wing, falling to the back.
Bowser estimated the attendance at 140,000 for each day of the weekend, selling the event as a way to showcase the city and boost the economy.
But the road closures and other disruptions to the city irked plenty of locals, with some of the busiest streets shut down for the weekend, backing up traffic and forcing businesses to close. The federal courthouse canceled all hearings Friday ahead of the race, and flights in and out of National Airport were paused for several hours to accommodate the flyovers.
Fans lined up behind the fence on Pennsylvania Avenue to get up close to the cars. One man wore a red “MAGA” hat and marveled at how clean the city was. Some wore Washington Nationals hats as D.C.-area locals, taking a short trip downtown for the spectacle. Others wore racing gear and merchandise for their favorite teams and drivers.
“I love the racing. I love the cars,” said Luis Chavez of Maryland, a racing fan who showed up in a Pato O’Ward Arrow McLaren IndyCar shirt. He said he has watched NASCAR races, IndyCar races and even Formula 1 races in Brazil when he lived there.
With three races left this season, Palou still leads the championship standings and remains favored to capture his fifth trophy. Kirkwood, who took a big chunk out of Palou’s lead in D.C., is still a distant second in the standings.
Palou quipped that he’d like to win 10 more championships.
“I’ve just been very blessed of being in the best team and having the best people around me,” he told NBC News before the race. “I don’t know if it’s going to end next year or in 10 years, but I’ll continue to push as much as I can.”
