Trump caps summer of US 250th birthday at IndyCar race through Washington

IndyCar's Freedom 250 Grand Prix zoomed through the National Mall, past the US Capitol, down historic Pennsylvania Avenue, and around the National Archives, in the marquee event on Sunday afternoon.

US President Donald Trump capped celebrations of the US 250th anniversary with a first-of-its-kind auto race through the streets of Washington, closing a summer of sports and spectacle as drivers sped past the capital's iconic landmarks.

IndyCar's Freedom 250 Grand Prix zoomed through the National Mall, past the US Capitol, down historic Pennsylvania Avenue and around the National Archives, in the marquee event on Sunday afternoon.

The race was expected to draw roughly 200,000 spectators, officials said, and tickets were free. Passes to private trackside clubs sold for $5,000.

 Trump takes a lap, waves the green flag

Trump's motorcade took an honorary loop around the race course before he waved the green flag to officially start the 250-mile (402-km) race at about 1:18 p.m. ET (1718 GMT). Although the green flag at IndyCar events typically is waved atop a tower at the start/finish line, Trump remained in his presidential box for Sunday's start.

"I don't know if anything will ever top what we're going to be having," Trump said in July as drivers visited the White House to celebrate the start of the race course's construction.

The race is the latest in a series of sporting events Trump has used to celebrate the country and his second term, even as his approval rating has dropped to the lowest point since he returned to the White House in January 2025, and the US is embroiled in a war with Iran.

He opened the summer with a professional mixed martial arts bout on the South Lawn of the White House, then presented the trophy to FIFA World Cup champion Spain a month later.

Earlier in August, he appeared at the “Patriot Games,” a cross between a game show and track meet for high school athletes, televised on sports network ESPN.

For Trump, the events have served to raise his profile, both domestically and globally. The UFC fight card was streamed internationally, and during the World Cup trophy presentation, he lingered at mid-pitch while the Spanish team hoisted the trophy.

IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward, who races for Arrow McLaren, told the Fox News Sunday show he was feeling "pretty surreal" ahead of the race.

"We never thought that we were going to be racing here anytime in 2026," O'Ward said. "Everyone's excited that we're here and, I mean, it's a pretty picturesque backdrop."

Race plans face criticism

The Washington race has faced its share of criticism. The track was originally set to run through the grounds of the US Capitol, but the proposal required lawmakers' approval and stalled in Congress. Advertising is prohibited on Capitol grounds, and the race cars, with their dozens of corporate sponsors, along with trackside billboards, would have run afoul of those regulations.

Trump instead issued an executive order commanding Transportation Department officials to draw up a course that did not require congressional sign-off.

Officials paused air traffic at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport for three hours at midday on Sunday to accommodate the IndyCar event's military flyovers, including one featuring a Boeing 747 jet often used as Air Force One, and another including what appeared to be a B-2 stealth bomber.

The city's police closed major thoroughfares downtown due to pedestrian activity and security procedures.

Race officials said the city's roads will not need much refurbishment before or after the race, in which drivers are expected to reach 185 miles per hour (298 km per hour) on the Pennsylvania Avenue straightaway.

The event has dozens of corporate sponsors, including major companies such as Boeing, SpaceX's Starlink, and Delta Air Lines, which will be sponsoring an IndyCar race for the first time, Bud Denker, the Grand Prix's chair and president of Penske Corp., said on Thursday.