Paddock Buzz: All Systems Go for Historic D.C. Race Weekend

Friday marked the eve of a historic weekend as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES prepares to race through the streets of Washington, D.C., for the first time.

The 25 stars of the series will take to the 1.7-mile, seven-turn street circuit for the first time Saturday, with practice beginning at 9 a.m. ET on FS2. A second practice session is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 5 p.m. ET, with both sessions airing on FS2. FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls also will broadcast all sessions.

The circuit was ready Friday as two-seat race cars and Chevrolet event vehicles carried dignitaries around the temporary course beginning at 8:30 a.m. The rides offered an early glimpse of what will become the centerpiece of a historic motorsports weekend in the nation’s capital.

There’s a real buzz surrounding the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.

Local television stations led their Thursday night and Friday newscasts with coverage of the race weekend. More than 600 credentials were issued to media members and outlets from around the world, while FOX News Channel, “TODAY,” “CBS Mornings,” “Good Morning America,” CNN, MS NOW, NewsNation and other national networks and shows broadcast live from the grounds Friday and are expected to remain throughout the weekend.

Seventy-three suites are sold out throughout the racetrack, a non-Indianapolis 500 record.

Regular admission is free for more than 140,000 expected spectators at track both Saturday and Sunday.

“This shows that dreams come true in America,” said Bud Denker, president of Penske Corporation and chairman of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.

Denker could only be proud of what he and his team accomplished. He took a moment to look around and reminisce on Friday’s moments after holding 83 meetings over 93 days last year in an effort to bring the race to life for the 2026 season.

On Jan. 29, he received a call regarding an executive order from President Donald J. Trump that helped move the event closer to reality. Denker was in the Oval Office with Trump the following day as efforts continued to bring the project across the finish line.

Nearly seven months later, the vision is a reality.

“Let’s just say we’re going to have a lot of fun,” said David Malukas, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Sunday’s race will be the 15th of the 18-race NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, but its significance extends far beyond the championship standings. The 147-lap, 250-mile race will be the second-longest street-circuit event in series history, behind the 1982 and 1983 races at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland that were 310 miles.

This track winds past some of the nation’s most recognizable landmarks and around the National Mall.

The two-day motorsports festival also serves as a centerpiece of the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration, bringing world-class open-wheel racing to the heart of the nation’s capital.

“This is a once in a lifetime event,” Denker said. “Feel the pride of it. Feel the pride of the country, feel the pride of INDYCAR. It’s going to be an amazing event.”

NYSE Opening Bell Begins Day

Denker, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Freedom 250 CEO Keith Krach, NYSE President Lynn Martin and Arrow McLaren CEO Zak Brown took part in the opening bell ceremony Friday at the New York Stock Exchange from pit road of the Washington, D.C., street course (photo, above).

With the sun rising over the United States Capitol in the background, the group rang the bell to officially open the trading day while helping launch race weekend.

It marked the second time this week that INDYCAR participated in a major stock-exchange opening. Josef Newgarden of Team Penske and Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global were in New York City on Monday to open the NASDAQ.

It’s a rare occasion for a sport to open both major U.S. stock exchanges, let alone in the same week.

Malukas and Pato O'Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, represented the drivers at Friday morning's kickoff event in D.C., with Malukas admitting he felt the magnitude of what was ahead.

“Definitely nerves,” Malukas said. “This is a big one. Everyone wants to win it.”

O’Ward was a guest on the “FOX & Friends” morning show and mentioned his excitement.

“I feel like after they (fans) watch this weekend, I think they might be hooked for a lifetime,” O’Ward said.

Epic Flyover Planned for Sunday

INDYCAR and FOX Sports have assembled a powerful pre-race presentation Sunday featuring multiple flyovers, showcasing the incredible skill and precision of the U.S. armed forces.

Aircraft from four of the Department of War’s unformed service branches will perform for spectators as the pre-race ceremonies culminate, captured by FOX as part of a massive salute to American warfighters.

The United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States Air Force and United States Coast Guard will each participate in festivity proceedings.

Flyovers will feature multiple airframes and unique formations, creating an exhilarating, once-in-a-lifetime showcase in the sky above the National Mall and for viewers at home.

Pre-race ceremonies begin on FOX at 11:30 a.m. ET as the stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES get set for a historic showdown in Washington D.C.

‘The Beast’ On Site Friday

The United States presidential state car, commonly known as “The Beast,” was at the track Friday.

One of “The Beast’s” drivers was on hand to answer questions and showcase the heavily armored vehicle. Everyone participating in the race weekend track walk also had an opportunity to see the vehicle and learn more about its features as they familiarized themselves with the 1.7-mile circuit that goes past some of the country’s most iconic landmarks and around the National Mall.

The third-generation custom Cadillac is more than a limousine. It is an armored luxury personnel carrier meticulously engineered to protect the president of the United States.

There have been media reports that the vehicle could lead the field ahead of Sunday's race, potentially with President Trump inside. That has not been confirmed.

Odds and Ends

• Mario Andretti’s 1969 Indianapolis 500-winning car is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum inside the track (photo, above). Fans with Stripes tickets can visit the museum throughout the weekend.

• Drivers like the layout of the circuit, which features a mix of bumpy sections and smoother, newly paved asphalt. Turn 2 includes bricks in the braking zone, creating a unique low-grip challenge.

• Drivers also noted several corners are narrow at the entry but widen toward the exit, creating opportunities for passing.

• The National Gallery of Art is located across from the Media Center on the straightaway between Turns 1 and 2. The gallery’s East Building sits near the site of the former Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station, where President James A. Garfield was shot in 1881.