The Capital Is Getting Fast and Loud
Start your engines, Washington. The streets of the capital are about to turn into a high-speed battleground.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his administration is bringing a massive auto race to downtown D.C. this summer. Dubbed the “Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.,” the event is set to be the first-ever INDYCAR street race hosted in the city.
It is all part of the broader blowout celebration for the United States’ 250th birthday.
The Executive Order
Flanked by senior officials in the Oval Office, the President wasted no time getting the wheels turning. He signed an executive order directing the Interior and Transportation departments to get moving immediately.
Their deadline is tight.
They have just 14 days to designate a route that is “suitable for conducting an INDYCAR street race.” The order specifies that the track must “showcase the majesty of our capital city” while celebrating American independence.
The relevant secretaries have also been ordered to fast-track the necessary permits and approvals to make it happen.
“This Is Going to Be Wild”
The race is scheduled to roar through the district from August 21 to 23.
“I love the racing,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t have a lot of time to watch it, but I love the racing.”
His cabinet seems just as hyped about the prospect of open-wheel cars tearing past historic monuments.
“To think, 190 miles an hour down Pennsylvania Avenue, this is going to be wild,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum framed the event as a perfect mashup of patriotism and adrenaline.
“What’s more American than race-car driving?” Burgum asked. “Merging the history and the tradition of our capital, Washington, D.C., with the speed and the innovation that goes on in the Indy Car Series is incredible.”
Get ready for the roar of engines on the Mall.