President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to facilitate a street race for the NTT IndyCar Series on the streets of Washington D.C. The race, titled the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, is being organized to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“This is gonna have a lot of people, I won’t even say how many people because I think it can set a record for racing,” Trump said. “It’s gonna be very, very important. We’re celebrating greatness with American motor racing.”
The race is scheduled for the weekend of August 21 to 23. This would place it in between the 14th and 15th races of the 2026 IndyCar Series season, held at the Markham Center in Ontario and the Milwaukee Mile in Wisconsin respectively.
Shortly after noon on Friday Trump held a press conference in the Oval Office alongside U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, IndyCar, LLC owner Roger Penske, and FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks among others.
BREAKING: President Trump signs executive order bringing IndyCar race to DC for America250 celebrations.
"This is going to be wild," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
“This is free for the American people to come to your nation’s capital and see a great road race.… pic.twitter.com/coIss14mDh
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 30, 2026
Logistics of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix
The White House on Friday released a summary of how the race would be organized. Under the executive order, Burgum’s Interior Department has the task of organizing a route for the IndyCar Series to race around Washington D.C.’s public roadways. As for facilitating the race, Duffy will play a key role in organization and the Transportation Department will provide funding.
Secretary Burgum will coordinate with Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to ensure that all of the roadways used in the race are at a level of maintenance that can accommodate a major motorsports event. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will work with Duffy to allow drone photography and videography to aid in the coverage of the race.
The announcement of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix is one of several upcoming initiatives by the Trump administration to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. Alongside the street race are plans for a Great American State Fair, a kids’ athletic tournament called the Patriot Games, and a UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House.
President Trump and Roger Penske
The collaboration between Trump and Penske is the latest in a longstanding relationship between the two. On Friday Trump described Penske as “a friend of mine for a long time”.
According to federal election data, in 2020 Penske donated over $50,000 to Trump’s re-election campaign and associated political committees. In 2024, he donated $1 million to the Make America Great Again political action committee. Preceding these contributions in 2019, Trump awarded Penske the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
“President Trump has bestowed an incredible distinction upon our sport and we’re grateful for his trust and support as IndyCar prepares to honor our country with a tremendous racing spectacle,” Roger Penske said as reported by NBC News. “This will be a truly memorable event that celebrates our country’s independence and the legacy of patriotism, innovation and excellence that powers motorsports across America.”
