DC Grand Prix: Live updates as Trump hosts car race in the capital

The heart of the nation’s capital is set to be packed with more than 140,000 fans as Freedom 250th Grand Prix kicks off Sunday, sending race cars zipping through Washington, DC, for the first time in IndyCar history.

The race is set to begin shortly after 1 p.m. ET on the National Mall with a course that takes seven turns between the U.S. Capitol and around Smithsonian museums and the National Archives. Racers will drive 147 laps around the 1.7-mile course for a total of 250 miles before spectators, including President Donald Trump.

Trump is also expected to take a ride around the track in his presidential limousine before things kick off.

The two-day event kicked off Saturday with practice and qualifying races and two International Race of Champions races. Twenty-five drivers will compete Sunday.

It’s the latest high-profile sporting event spearheaded by Trump as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. In June, a UFC Freedom 250 mixed martial arts event was hosted at the White House.

The U.S. Capitol Building is visible at the finish line of the Indy Car race track for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on August 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. Final preparations continue for this weekend’s inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a historic two-day NTT IndyCar Series street race past iconic National Mall landmarks to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

<1 / 9

The U.S. Capitol Building is visible at the finish line of the Indy Car race track for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on August 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. Final preparations continue for this weekend’s inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a historic two-day NTT IndyCar Series street race past iconic National Mall landmarks to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

<2 / 9

An official vehicle Chevrolet Corvette is parked on the Indy Car race track down Pennsylvania Avenue for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. The event will be the first-ever NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on the National Mall and was established via an executive order from President Donald Trump to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary.

<3 / 9

Viewing stands are visible on the National Mall. The event will include practice and qualifying on Aug. 22 and the race beginning at 1:10 p.m. on Aug. 23. The race will be broadcast live on FOX.

<4 / 9

The U.S. Capitol Building is visible at the finish line. The cars participating in the race will be IndyCar race cars, which are unique lightweight, open-wheel, single-seater race cars that are specifically engineered for North American motorsports competitions, the most famous being the Indianapolis 500.

<5 / 9

The finish line of the Indy Car race track. The race will consist of 147 laps around a course at the east end of the National Mall. A single lap of the course is 1.7 miles, and 147 laps equals 250 miles.

<6 / 9

The U.S. Capitol Building is visible behind the workers. The start and finish line of the course is directly west of the U.S. Capitol Building, and the seven-turn lap takes drivers past the National Archives, the Washington Monument, the National Gallery of Art and these three Smithsonian museums:

The National Museum of Natural History, The National Air & Space Museum and The National Museum of the American Indian.

<7 / 9

Viewing stands are visible on the National Mall.

<8 / 9

The U.S. Capitol Building is visible behind Freedom 250 Grand Prix Chairman Bud Denker as he stands in front of a Chevrolet Corvette official car on the Indy Car race track.

<9 / 9

Viewing stands are visible on the National Mall.