WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 23, 2026--
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, has hailed the successful staging of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. as a landmark moment for American motor sport and a powerful demonstration of motor sport’s continued growth across the United States.
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Held as part of the celebration marking the 250 th anniversary of the United States of America, the Freedom 250 Grand Prix brought world-class motorsport to the heart of the nation’s capital with Florida born Kyle Kirkwood taking victory in front of a packed crowd with thousands lined up all around the circuit.
The race comes at a time of unprecedented momentum for motor sport in the United States as American audiences for Formula 1 have grown significantly with a record 76.3m fans now engaging across the country 1. In 2025, the economic impact of the motor sport industry in the U.S. topped $69.2 billion, supporting over 318,000 2 jobs. The nation continues to play an increasingly important role across international competition, automotive innovation and the global motorsport industry, playing host to five FIA races across three FIA Championships in 2026 – with the FIA World Rally Championship and Karting Championships set to return to American soil from next year.
Working alongside its Member Club, the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS), the FIA has supported and governed motorsport in the United States for more than 70 years. The Freedom 250 Grand Prix added another major event to that landscape and underlines the strength and ambition of motor sport in the United States.
H.E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, said:“The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. has been an extraordinary celebration of American motor sport, and I congratulate President Donald J. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, the Administration, INDYCAR, ACCUS and everyone who worked to bring this vision to life.
“In particular, I commend Roger Penske for his unwavering determination in making this race a reality. Not only has he and Freedom 250 Grand Prix chairman Bud Denker secured bipartisan support for this historic occasion, but he and his team have also succeeded in delivering this outstanding event at an extraordinary pace.
“There has never been a more exciting time for motor sport in the United States. The passion of American fans is clear to see, the automotive and motor sport industries here are among the strongest in the world, and the country is playing an increasingly important role across our sport.
“The FIA is proud to be part of that story as we continue to work to support and grow motorsport across the United States. Today, our World Championships bring some of the biggest events in global motorsport to American soil, and our ambition is to build on that momentum and bring even more opportunities for fans, competitors and the industry.
“This weekend showed the world what is possible when ambition, innovation and sport come together. My congratulations to Kyle Kirkwood, to all the competitors and officials, and to everyone who made this race such a memorable occasion.”
The FIA’s involvement in American motorsport extends across sporting governance, safety, technical regulation and the development of international championships. The Federation also works closely with the American motorsport community to share knowledge and advance safety standards across all disciplines.
1https://www.ey.com/content/dam/ey-unified-site/ey-com/en-us/insights/media-entertainment/documents/ey-us-sports-engagement-index-2026-revised.pdf
2https://performanceracing.com/magazine/industry-news/06-18-2025/new-pri-study-finds-motorsports-industry-has-692-billion-economic
Kyle Kirkwood wins the NTT INDYCAR Freedom 250 Grand Prix
WASHINGTON (AP) — On the streets of downtown Washington, an American led almost the whole way.
Kyle Kirkwood raced to his second victory of the IndyCar season Sunday, dominating the Freedom 250 in his No. 27 Honda. Kirkwood crossed the finish line in front of the U.S. Capitol 3.09 seconds ahead of Christian Lundgaard, after leading for 128 of a possible 147 laps.
“This likely is the most satisfying win that I’ve had, just the magnitude of it. This one and my first are pretty similar,” said Kirkwood, who now has seven career IndyCar victories. “When you think about the magnitude, what this means, having this race here in D.C., being the Freedom 250, as an American, it might top the first win for me.”
The race was set up as part of the country’s 250th birthday celebration. President Donald Trump gave drivers the green flag at the start and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser served as grand marshal.
Organizers could hardly have asked for better weather, with plenty of sun but not so much heat that fans would stay away. The area was awash in red, white and blue. Even the Canadian flags on that country's embassy — located along the track's Pennsylvania Avenue straightaway — featured two of those three colors.
“This was not a race. It was an event," race chair Bud Denker said.
Will Power and Marcus Ericsson, Kirkwood's teammates with Andretti Global, finished third and fourth. Pole winner Alex Palou, who had a chance to clinch the series title, finished 20th in his second-worst showing of the year.
After several prerace flyovers and Trump’s green flag, the field quickly went under caution because of debris on the track. The first big wreck came when David Malukas went into the wall and Sting Ray Robb could do little to avoid crashing into him coming around a turn. Just like that, two of the race’s eight American drivers were out.
Several cars went onto pit road, and that’s when the day started to fall apart for Palou. He appeared to hit a tire in someone else’s area while exiting, and he was assessed a drive-through penalty.
On a subsequent pit stop, one of Palou’s tires was loose when he started driving. That caused another delay, and he ended up off the lead lap. Palou later spun coming through a turn. His lead in the standings dropped from 133 points over second-place Kirkwood to 91 with three races to go.
“Things happen. I'm at least kind of happy that everything happened at the same day instead of spreading out throughout different races," Palou said. “We had some issues in pit lane — one my fault, one out of my control.”
Kirkwood had a commanding lead before Palou’s spin caused a caution. On a restart with 19 laps remaining, Scott McLaughlin tried to pass Kirkwood and went into a tire barrier.
“Quite honestly, I thought he was going to make it stick initially,” Kirkwood said. “Once he got alongside me, there’s no way he’s stopping.”
After another caution, Kirkwood pulled off a strong restart with 13 laps to go and Lundgaard didn’t mount much of a threat as the 250-mile race wound down. Nicknamed the “King of the Streets” because of his success on tracks like this, Kirkwood looked right at home on the 1.7-mile circuit that was being used this weekend for the first time.
Marcus Armstrong was penalized for avoidable contact when he sent Christian Rasmussen into a spin. Rinus VeeKay went into the wall during that incident but appeared unaware of Armstrong’s culpability when he went on TV for an interview.
“If Rasmussen’s around, you know you’re going to crash. Either he does or you do,” VeeKay said. “It sucks. It’s stupid. It’s a long race, and some people seemingly don’t know that.”
Denker had plenty of impressive stats ready for his postrace news conference: over 215,000 people attending over the last two days, and over $969,000 in merchandise sold Saturday.
As for whether the race will continue in the future, Denker said he'll discuss it with series owner Roger Penske.
“Mr. Trump hit me 15 times today about having to have this," Denker said. “'Let’s do it for five years,' is what he’s saying, ‘because that guarantees you’re going to be here through my term, then two more years for whoever is in office next.’”
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy talks with Mario Andretti after Kyle Kirkwood (27) won the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joins for a photo after Kyle Kirkwood (27) won the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Kyle Kirkwood (27) celebrates with his team after winning the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Roger Penske, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump watch after Kyle Kirkwood (27) won the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Kyle Kirkwood (27) makes a pit stop for gas during the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
