IndyCar Unveils Freedom 250 Grand Prix Layout Through DC Landmarks
The race will hit the nation's capital in August
IndyCar is gearing up for the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington this weekend, but we're now getting our first look at the layout for another new street race, the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, DC.
The race was a surprise announcement when, just a few weeks before the season-opener, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to put an IndyCar race on the streets of the nation's capital.
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The result was the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, and on Monday, IndyCar showed off the circuit layout, which will take cars past some of the most iconic landmarks the city has to offer.
It's a short circuit, and there aren't many corners at all, with just seven, and one of them — Turn 6 — looks like it could even wind up being taken flat.
That said, while it's far from the most exciting layout to look at on paper, check out the landmarks IndyCars will be flying past.
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The National Air & Space Museum, the National Archives, and the Capitol Building are just a few, and you can see that the circuit crosses the National Mall twice.
"This circuit is unlike any other street race we’ve seen," Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden said after getting a tour of the layout, per the IndyCar website. "You’ve got a high‑speed section down Pennsylvania Avenue that will reward commitment and precision, mixed with technical corners around 9th Street that will demand respect. Racing through the heart of American history, with those amazing landmarks lining the course, is going to be incredibly powerful. I can’t wait to be back here to race and celebrate America’s birthday at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix."
I'm really curious to see what the racing will be like here. It looks like there are going to be a few really nice overtaking spots in heavy braking zones at Turns 4 and 7, and maybe even 1 and 5.
I hope that's the case, because there's no doubt that the race will be an absolute spectacle.
But if we're lucky, that's just the icing on the cake that is a really great race in its own right.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix will take place on August 23 and will air on Fox.