President Donald Trump hosted an event at the White House this week, featuring IndyCar champions Alex Palou and Felix Rosenqvist, to promote the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix. The event also included Team Penske driver David Malukas. The race is scheduled to take place on the streets of Washington, D.C., on August 23.
The NTT IndyCar Series will race through Washington, D.C., for the first time, with cars passing by national monuments. The event aims to celebrate America's 250th birthday.
The race weekend's schedule includes practice sessions on Aug. 22, with Practice 1 airing on FS1 and Practice 2 on FS2. Qualifying is set for that evening, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. ET on FS2. The following morning, Aug. 23, an IndyCar warm-up will be broadcast from 9 to 10 a.m. ET on FS1. Expanded pre-race coverage will begin on FOX at 11:30 a.m. ET, with the Freedom 250 Grand Prix race start scheduled for shortly after 1 p.m. ET.
In addition to the main IndyCar event, the International Race of Champions (IROC) will return as a support series. Former IndyCar drivers Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti, and Tony Kanaan are slated to participate alongside NASCAR legends including Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Rusty Wallace, and Bill Elliott. They will compete using Pontiac Firebirds, similar to those used in the original IROC series from 1996 to 2006.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. is a new addition to the 2026 IndyCar calendar. The series also has an upcoming event in Nashville for the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, which will air on FOX following the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final.