An inside look at final preparations for Freedom 250 Grand Prix in DC

By Luke Lukert
August 20, 2026 | 2:35 PM

The Freedom 250 Grand Prix in D.C. is just days away. It is causing traffic headaches for drivers as dozens of roads are closed near the track that circles part of the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue.

More roads are closing as the big race approaches.

It is the first time an IndyCar race has been held on the streets of the nation’s capital. With this “once in a lifetime race nearing,” WTOP’s Luke Lukert was on Pennsylvania Avenue learning about last-minute preparations for the 250-mile race.

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Metro and IndyCar team up for a busy weekend of Freedom 250 Grand Prix events

By Alan Etter
August 20, 2026 | 3:03 PM

No, you weren't hallucinating Thursday morning — that was an IndyCar being pulled along the Metro tracks through a portion of D.C. It was part of a promotion between the Freedom 250 Grand Prix and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to remind people that the best way to navigate the expected huge crowds this weekend is to take Metro. "Even IndyCar knows the fastest way to get around is actually on Metro," said Randy Clarke, the transit agency's general manager and CEO. "We're really excited about this, and this car was a really kind of fun way to show a different way that people can see the Metro system, and we're having a little fun." The IndyCar, described as a work car that will not run in any of the races scheduled over the weekend, was fastened aboard a flat-bed train car and pulled along the yellow line, beginning at the King Street station up to the Mount Vernon station then back south to the L'Enfant Plaza station. Metro riders gawked at the multicolored, low-profile racecar as the train paused at L'Enfant for a photo op.

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