Spectators began pouring into the center of Washington, DC, on Saturday to catch the first day of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a two-day street racing event whose revving engines will echo amid the nearby US Capitol and the city’s neoclassic national museums.
The portion of 3rd street that will serve as the start and finish line is painted cobalt blue, with a thick black-and-white checkered flag band overshadowing the more mundane stripes of a nearby crosswalk. Large metal fencing stands erected around the site to protect those who’ve flocked to the IndyCar event to watch the sleekly designed cars fly past at speeds up to 180 miles per hour.
With a host of preliminary races on the schedule, the festivities on Saturday are a buildup to the main race on Sunday, which, according to the White House, President Donald Trump plans to attend. The 1.66-mile track caps off a summer of celebrations commemorating the nation’s 250th birthday.
The president fast tracked the race with a January executive order, bypassing local bureaucratic hurdles and making the event that is expected to draw nearly 300,000 people over two days a reality less than a year after its pitch by Penske Corporation president, Bud Denker.
Fans began pouring into the sprawling racing area under a light drizzle about 8 a.m. as the racing teams were preparing for the first practice rounds. The weather did not dampen the spirits of hardcore racing fans who traveled from across the country for the Grand Prix in DC.
Tom Lantz brought his family, including his 12-year-old son, Levi Steele, from Altoona, Pennsylvania, for the event. Lantz has attended several previous races but this was Levi’s first.
“I’m just glad I’m here,” Levi said.
The racetrack starts along 3rd Street, along the National Mall across from the Washington Monument, and is followed by turns onto Pennsylvania Avenue, the street where the White House is located. From there, it goes along 9th Street — passing the National Gallery of Art and National Archives. Pennsylvania Avenue was crucial to the track because its width lent itself to a pit lane where IndyCars will stop for tire changes, fuel and repairs.
The course then turns onto Constitution Avenue and cuts across 7th Street, bisecting the National Mall before turning onto Independence Avenue, past the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It then turns on Maryland Avenue and back onto 3rd Street, spanning less than 1.7 miles and seven turns.
Drivers on Sunday will race around the monuments for 147 laps, a symbolic number to celebrate the nation’s semi-quincentennial with a 250-mile race.
Many Washington, DC, residents will feel the race’s impact even if they don’t attend it, as officials plan extensive traffic and parking restrictions throughout the city in conjunction with the event. The Federal Aviation Administration also announced it will pause flights out of Ronald Reagan National Airport from 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, though those times may change.
A few of the city’s iconic Smithsonian Museums are in the race’s path, and visitors will need a Freedom 250 Grand Prix event ticket to access them. The National Gallery of Art, which is next to the race’s pit lane, said it conducted an “extensive vibration study” and applied a set of safety measures to protect guests and its art collections from being damaged by the race.
The Freedom 250 won’t be the first time a race was held in Washington to commemorate America’s anniversary. In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson celebrated America’s 25th birthday with a horse race near the same land where IndyCar’s track is built, according to the White House Historical Association.
Hosting this race was a bit more complicated than it might have been back then.
For a nation’s capital that frequently engages in logistical gymnastics for events like the presidential inauguration, the Grand Prix presented unique challenges, including repairing streets, constructing large heavy fencing and securing permits to bring the race to downtown.
Ahead of Saturday’s qualifying races, Denker’s team smoothed nearly 50 manhole covers over with silicone to ensure the high-speeding cars don’t blow the covers off their places with the suction they create.
Security will be a particular sticking point ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix with the president and several members of his cabinet set to attend the race. Attendees will funnel through tall magnetometers, reminiscent of TSA-style screening before a flight.
DC city officials had asked the federal government to designate the event as a National Special Security Event – a status reserved for the nation’s highest-profile and highest-risk gatherings, such as the State of the Union and state funerals. The Trump administration denied the request, opting instead to follow a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1 – the highest designation below a National Special Security Event.
Another challenge for organizers was accommodating DC residents who live in the middle of the action. Denker, the Penske president, anticipated concerns about disruption and noise, meeting in May with residents who live or have office space near the course to pitch his plan and answer any questions.
Most of the race’s extensive construction took place in the overnight hours but drew the ire of residents outraged at the large-scale disruption in downtown DC.
The more-than-$35-million price tag, all paid for by IndyCar, bets on the race as a way to attract new fans and commemorate the nation’s birthday.
“What’s primary for me, and it sounds corny, is to celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary in ways no one ever expected to see,” Denker said.
