The National Mall became a racetrack this weekend. Drivers ran practice, qualifying and two exhibition races Saturday, and Sunday brought the main event: 25 of them racing 147 laps on a temporary 1.7-mile, seven-turn circuit past the U.S. Capitol, the National Archives and the Washington Monument.
President Trump, who cleared the way for the race with an executive order in January, waved the green flag from a bulletproof-glass suite in Turn 1 and took a ceremonial lap around the course in his presidential limousine before the start. Kyle Kirkwood set the fastest practice lap Saturday at 106.668 mph, and Jeff Gordon won the first International Race of Champions exhibition.
Before the weekend, crews welded the course’s manhole covers shut, more than 200 of them, because cars at these speeds can pull them out of the street, ABC News reported. Three Smithsonian museums and the National Archives restricted entry to ticketholders for the weekend, and the National Gallery of Art’s East Building closed entirely Sunday.
Organizers expected about 140,000 people each day.
US President Donald Trump rides in the presidential limousine, known as “The Beast,” on the track prior to the start of the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, DC on August 23, 2026. The Freedom 250 Grand Prix is part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence. The race will cover 147 laps of a 1.7-mile, seven-turn street circuit around the National Mall, passing landmarks including the US Capitol and Washington Monument. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
(SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
Spectators watch as Trump takes a ceremonial lap of the course in his presidential limousine, known as “the Beast,” before the start. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
(SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
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President Trump arrives at the race alongside Roger Penske, chair of the Penske Corporation, whose company built the event. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
(SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
Trump watches British driver Louis Foster, in the No. 45, from a suite above the track. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
(SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
Caio Collet, driver of the No. 4 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet, competes in qualifying. (Mehmet Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(Anadolu via Getty Images)
Christian Lundgaard, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, on track Saturday. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
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Lundgaard prepares to go back out, with the Capitol beyond the circuit. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
(Finn Gomez via Getty Images)
The Capitol dome above the circuit on Saturday, a day before the race. (Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images)
(KENT NISHIMURA via Getty Images)
Fans cheer during Saturday’s practice session. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
(Tom Williams via Getty Images)
Romain Grosjean, driver of the No. 14 for Dale Coyne Racing, passes the National Archives during qualifying. (Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images)
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Jeff Gordon drives a Pontiac Firebird on 3rd Street during the International Race of Champions exhibition. He won it. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
(Tom Williams via Getty Images)
Spectators fill the grandstand for the first International Race of Champions exhibition. (Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images)
(KENT NISHIMURA via Getty Images)
