IndyCar race takes over National Mall this weekend

Twenty-five IndyCar drivers will race through the heart of Washington this weekend, sending cars past the Capitol, the National Archives and Smithsonian museums in a two-day event expected to draw about 140,000 spectators each day.

The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., will culminate Sunday with a 250-mile race on a temporary street circuit around the National Mall. Organizers say it is the first IndyCar race in the nation’s capital and the first major auto race in the city in more than 24 years. Event chair Bud Denker, president of Penske Corp., told NPR it may not happen again.

“This is a one-time-only event, because we’re celebrating the country’s 250th one time,” Denker said.

The race is tied to celebrations of the nation’s 250th birthday. President Trump is expected to wave the green flag to start the race, Denker said, and organizers have prepared a special viewing box for him. The New York Post reported that Trump is also expected to take a ceremonial “lap of honor” around the track in the Beast, the presidential limousine.

The 1.7-mile course features six left-hand turns and one right-hand turn. Drivers will complete 147 laps, starting west of the U.S. Capitol on Third Street Northwest, then turning onto Pennsylvania Avenue, Ninth Street Northwest, Constitution Avenue, Seventh Street Northwest, Independence Avenue Southwest and Maryland Avenue Southwest before looping back toward the Capitol. The route passes the National Archives, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of American History.

At a July preview event, Trump said drivers could exceed 190 mph on Pennsylvania Avenue. “It wasn’t exactly designed for that, but what [Transportation Secretary] Sean Duffy has done with these incredible, brilliant people is really amazing,” he said, according to NPR. CBS News reported that top speeds this weekend are expected to approach 180 mph, while IndyCar cars are capable of reaching 230 mph in the series.

Saturday’s schedule includes two IndyCar practice sessions, qualifying from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET and an International Race of Champions exhibition. Sunday’s main race begins shortly after 1 p.m. ET and is expected to last about 2 1/2 hours. Fox will broadcast the race, with Saturday practice and qualifying on FS1 and FS2 and Sunday coverage on the Fox broadcast network. Fox coverage will also stream on the Fox One app.

General admission tickets were free but are no longer available. NPR reported that about 288,000 people applied through a lottery. CBS News reported that the only remaining access as of its writing was a Saturday hospitality option on Ticketmaster costing $3,582.70 for a pair of passes; NPR reported that a two-day Champion’s Club hospitality package cost $5,000 per person.

The event required an accelerated planning process. Denker told NPR he and Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks came up with the idea over a beer last year, then went to Washington to measure roads. Denker said the original plan needed congressional approval because of restrictions on commercial advertising on Capitol grounds, but he could not secure enough votes after months of meetings. Trump signed a Jan. 30 executive order directing the Transportation and Interior departments to identify a route and help secure permits.

“Instead of having 2 1/2 years to plan this thing, I’ve had seven months,” Denker told NPR.

Denker said Penske is covering most of the event’s cost and that the government is paying security expenses involving agencies such as the Secret Service, U.S. Park Police and D.C. police. He told NPR the Detroit Grand Prix costs about $21 million a year and said the Washington race costs more.

The buildout has already transformed parts of the Mall with grandstands, barriers and closures. CBS News reported that the race will disrupt several popular tourist destinations and limit access to ticketed attendees. NPR reported that some art experts have raised concerns that vibrations from construction and racing could damage artifacts inside nearby museums.