2026-08-22T13:04:19.000Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/22/politics/dc-indycar-race-day-1
周六，观众开始涌入华盛顿特区市中心，参加“自由250大奖赛”首日活动。这项为期两天的街头赛车赛事的轰鸣引擎，将在附近的美国国会大厦和该市新古典主义国家博物馆之间回荡。
将作为起点和终点线的第三大道段被漆成红、白、钴蓝色，一条醒目的黑白方格旗带覆盖了附近人行横道上更普通的条纹。赛场周围竖起了大型金属围栏，以保护前来观看这场印地赛车赛事的观众——这些造型流畅的赛车将以最高每小时180英里的速度疾驰而过。
当日程表上排满多场预热赛时，周六的庆祝活动是为周日主赛预热。据白宫消息，唐纳德·特朗普总统计划出席周日的主赛。这条1.66英里长的赛道，是为纪念美国建国250周年夏季系列庆祝活动的收官之作。
总统在1月通过一项行政命令加快了赛事推进进程，绕过了当地官僚程序障碍。这场预计两天内吸引近30万观众的赛事，在彭斯克公司总裁巴德·登克尔提出申办后不到一年就得以落地。
周六上午8点左右，小雨淅淅沥沥，观众开始涌入广阔的赛车区域，此时各赛车队正为首轮练习赛做准备。到上午11点左右，赛场已有数千人。天气并未浇熄铁杆赛车迷的热情，他们从全国各地赶来参加华盛顿大奖赛。
汤姆·兰茨带着家人，包括他12岁的儿子莱维·斯蒂尔，从宾夕法尼亚州阿尔图纳赶来参加活动。兰茨曾参加过多次赛车比赛，但这是莱维的第一次。
“能来到这里我太开心了，”莱维说。
赛道始于第三大道，沿国家广场延伸至华盛顿纪念碑对面，随后转弯驶入宾夕法尼亚大道——白宫所在的街道。之后赛道沿第九大道行进，途经国家美术馆和国家档案馆。宾夕法尼亚大道对赛道而言至关重要，因为其宽度足够设置维修区，印地赛车将在此进行换胎、加油和维修。
赛道随后转入宪法大道，穿过第七大道，将国家广场一分为二，再转入独立大道，途经史密森尼国家航空航天博物馆。之后转向马里兰大道，回到第三大道，全程不到1.7英里，共7个弯道。
周日的车手们将围绕纪念物完成147圈赛程，这一数字是为了纪念美国建国250周年，对应250英里的赛事距离。
周六到场的车迷表示，他们尤其兴奋于赛事的历史背景——赛道的一段直道可以看到美国国会大厦。
“华盛顿的怀旧氛围、历史传承——这种体验我随时都愿意拥有，”从达拉斯赶来的斯科特·塔尔博特说道。
周六练习赛期间，观众们沿着赛道排列，父亲们将年幼的孩子扛在肩上，以便更好地观看赛道。每隔几码就放置了小型混凝土块，为没有坐在看台的观众提供更好的视野。
车手们周六首次熟悉了赛道的复杂路况。他们似乎在宾夕法尼亚大道的直道上达到了最高时速，随后在西北第九大道遇到一个急弯。不止一名车手似乎错过了弯道，不得不掉头重新回到赛道上。
许多华盛顿特区居民即便不亲临现场，也会感受到赛事的影响。官方计划在全市范围内实施大范围交通和停车限制措施，配合赛事举办。美国联邦航空管理局还宣布，将于周日上午10点15分至下午1点15分暂停罗纳德·里根华盛顿国家机场的航班起降，不过该时段可能会有所调整。
该市的几座标志性史密森尼博物馆位于赛道沿线，访客需要持有“自由250大奖赛”赛事门票才能进入。紧邻维修区的国家美术馆表示，他们进行了“全面的振动研究”，并采取了一系列安全措施，以保护游客和艺术收藏品免受赛事带来的损坏。
练习赛开始时，国家美术馆和附近存放着美国建国文件的国家档案馆几乎空无一人——对于夏季周六来说，这是一种不寻常的景象。
“自由250大奖赛”并非首次在华盛顿举办纪念美国建国周年的赛事。据白宫历史协会资料显示，1801年，托马斯·杰斐逊总统曾在如今印地赛车赛道所在的附近区域举办赛马活动，庆祝美国建国25周年。
如今举办这场赛事比当时要复杂得多。
对于经常为总统就职典礼等活动进行后勤协调的美国首都来说，大奖赛带来了独特的挑战，包括修复道路、搭建大型重型围栏以及申请将赛事引入市中心的许可。
在周六的排位赛开始前，登克尔的团队用硅酮填平了近50个井盖，以确保高速行驶的赛车不会因产生的吸力将井盖掀翻。
鉴于总统和多名内阁成员将出席周日的大奖赛，安保将成为重中之重。观众将通过类似机场安检的大型磁力探测器进行安检。
即便在周六，现场也有大量执法人员，包括联邦调查局、国民警卫队、美国公园警察和海军罪案调查处的人员。
华盛顿特区市政府曾要求联邦政府将此次赛事列为“国家特殊安全事件”——这一荣誉保留给全国最高规格、最高风险的集会，如国情咨文演讲和国家葬礼。特朗普政府拒绝了这一请求，转而采用“特别事件评估评级1级”——这是低于国家特殊安全事件的最高级别。
组织者面临的另一个挑战是为住在赛道核心区域的华盛顿居民提供便利。彭斯克公司总裁登克尔预计到人们对赛事带来的干扰和噪音的担忧，于5月与赛道附近的居民和办公业主会面，介绍赛事计划并解答疑问。
赛场大门外，没有门票的人们伸长脖子，从档案馆-海军纪念馆地铁站附近的公共区域瞥一眼赛车，那里仍可以看到赛道。
赛事的大部分大型施工都在夜间进行，但此举激怒了居民，他们对华盛顿市中心出现的大规模施工干扰感到愤怒。
这场赛事耗资超过3500万美元，全部由印地赛车联盟承担，主办方希望通过这场赛事吸引新粉丝，并纪念美国建国250周年。
“对我来说，首要的事情——虽然听起来有些老套——就是以所有人从未预料到的方式庆祝我国建国250周年，”登克尔说道。
Inside DC’s historic heart, an IndyCar race backed by Trump kicks into gear
2026-08-22T13:04:19.000Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/22/politics/dc-indycar-race-day-1
Spectators began pouring into the center of Washington, DC, on Saturday to catch the first day of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a two-day street racing event whose revving engines will echo amid the nearby US Capitol and the city’s neoclassic national museums.
The portion of 3rd street that will serve as the start and finish line is painted red, white and cobalt blue, with a thick black-and-white checkered flag band overshadowing the more mundane stripes of a nearby crosswalk. Large metal fencing stands erected around the site to protect those who’ve flocked to the IndyCar event to watch the sleekly designed cars fly past at speeds up to 180 miles per hour.
With a host of preliminary races on the schedule, the festivities on Saturday are a buildup to the main race on Sunday, which, according to the White House, President Donald Trump plans to attend. The 1.66-mile track caps off a summer of celebrations commemorating the nation’s 250th birthday.
The president fast tracked the race with a January executive order, bypassing local bureaucratic hurdles and making the event that is expected to draw nearly 300,000 people over two days a reality less than a year after its pitch by Penske Corporation president, Bud Denker.
Fans began pouring into the sprawling racing area under a light drizzle at about 8 a.m. as the racing teams were preparing for the first practice rounds. By about 11 a.m., there were several thousand people at the site. The weather did not dampen the spirits of hardcore racing fans who traveled from across the country for the Grand Prix in DC.
Tom Lantz brought his family, including his 12-year-old son, Levi Steele, from Altoona, Pennsylvania, for the event. Lantz has attended several previous races but this was Levi’s first.
“I’m just glad I’m here,” Levi said.
The racetrack starts along 3rd Street, along the National Mall across from the Washington Monument, and is followed by turns onto Pennsylvania Avenue, the street where the White House is located. From there, it goes along 9th Street — passing the National Gallery of Art and National Archives. Pennsylvania Avenue was crucial to the track because its width lent itself to a pit lane where IndyCars will stop for tire changes, fuel and repairs.
The course then turns onto Constitution Avenue and cuts across 7th Street, bisecting the National Mall before turning onto Independence Avenue, past the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It then turns on Maryland Avenue and back onto 3rd Street, spanning less than 1.7 miles and seven turns.
Drivers on Sunday will race around the monuments for 147 laps, a symbolic number to celebrate the nation’s semi-quincentennial with a 250-mile race.
Fans who showed up on Saturday said they were especially excited about the race’s historical backdrops – with the US Capitol in view of one of the track’s straightaways.
“The nostalgia of DC, the heritage – I’ll take this any day,” said Scott Talbott, who is visiting from Dallas.
Spectators lined the tracks during the practice rounds on Saturday, with fathers hoisting their young children on their shoulders to get a better view of the track. Small concrete blocks were placed every couple of yards to provide a better view for those who were not in the grandstands.
Drivers spent Saturday navigating the intricacies of the track for the first time. They seemed to hit top speeds on the straightaway along Pennsylvania Avenue before hitting a sharp curve on 9th St. NW. More than one driver appeared to miss the turn, forcing them to turn around to navigate back to the course.
Many Washington, DC, residents will feel the race’s impact even if they don’t attend it, as officials plan extensive traffic and parking restrictions throughout the city in conjunction with the event. The Federal Aviation Administration also announced it will pause flights out of Ronald Reagan National Airport from 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, though those times may change.
A few of the city’s iconic Smithsonian Museums are in the race’s path, and visitors will need a Freedom 250 Grand Prix event ticket to access them. The National Gallery of Art, which is next to the race’s pit lane, said it conducted an “extensive vibration study” and applied a set of safety measures to protect guests and its art collections from being damaged by the race.
Both the National Gallery of Art and the nearby National Archives, which houses the nation’s founding documents, were practically empty as the practice sessions got underway – an unusual sight for a summer Saturday.
The Freedom 250 won’t be the first time a race was held in Washington to commemorate America’s anniversary. In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson celebrated America’s 25th birthday with a horse race near the same land where IndyCar’s track is built, according to the White House Historical Association.
Hosting this race was a bit more complicated than it might have been back then.
For a nation’s capital that frequently engages in logistical gymnastics for events like the presidential inauguration, the Grand Prix presented unique challenges, including repairing streets, constructing large heavy fencing and securing permits to bring the race to downtown.
Ahead of Saturday’s qualifying races, Denker’s team smoothed nearly 50 manhole covers over with silicone to ensure the high-speeding cars don’t blow the covers off their places with the suction they create.
Security will be a particular sticking point ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix with the president and several members of his cabinet set to attend the race. Attendees will funnel through tall magnetometers, reminiscent of TSA-style screening before a flight.
Even on Saturday, a heavy law-enforcement presence included members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Guard, the US Parks Police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
DC city officials had asked the federal government to designate the event as a National Special Security Event – a status reserved for the nation’s highest-profile and highest-risk gatherings, such as the State of the Union and state funerals. The Trump administration denied the request, opting instead to follow a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1 – the highest designation below a National Special Security Event.
Another challenge for organizers was accommodating DC residents who live in the middle of the action. Denker, the Penske president, anticipated concerns about disruption and noise, meeting in May with residents who live or have office space near the course to pitch his plan and answer any questions.
Outside the site’s gates, those without tickets craned their necks to get a glimpse of the cars from public areas where the track was still viewable by the Archives-Navy Memorial metro station.
Most of the race’s extensive construction took place in the overnight hours but drew the ire of residents outraged at the large-scale disruption in downtown DC.
The more-than-$35-million price tag, all paid for by IndyCar, bets on the race as a way to attract new fans and commemorate the nation’s birthday.
“What’s primary for me, and it sounds corny, is to celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary in ways no one ever expected to see,” Denker said.