Alex Palou steered his car to the top of the leaderboard in the final practice session ahead of qualifying for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. The session was marked by multiple red flag incidents as drivers navigated the streets of Washington, D.C.
While the earlier practice session allowed teams to test wet tires, the second session began on a dry track. However, the session was interrupted twice. Graham Rahal's No. 15 Honda brought out the first red flag when the rear of his car made contact with the wall. Shortly after, Rahal's teammate Louis Foster also brought out a red flag after hitting a bump on the track surface approaching Turn 6, leading to contact with the inside wall and damage to his front wing.
Drivers found the track challenging, particularly the braking zone into Turn 6, which was identified as a point of concern for both qualifying and the race. Despite the disruptions, lap times improved as drivers became more familiar with the seven-turn street circuit.
Toward the end of the session, Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin posted a fast lap on primary tires. As drivers switched to faster alternate tires, Alex Palou set the fastest time of 56.615 seconds. Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global finished second, with a lap of 56.691 seconds on primary tires, indicating he may still have additional pace for qualifying.