It’s been a long, long summer in DC, full of—to borrow a phrase from former President George W. Bush—“weird s—t”: dead ducks in the Reflecting Pool, a Fourth of July fireworks display that turned our air temporarily toxic, a tarp now permanently adorning the Kennedy Center, re-gilded war memorial statues that look torn from Mr. T’s neck, and, of course, that Not-So-Great American State Fair. Linking these stories together? President Donald Trump’s ongoing attempts to make the nation’s capital and America’s 250th birthday all about himself.
I went to the Freedom 250 Grand Prix expecting much of the same. Instead, I found an actual auto race, an event that Trump loomed over but ultimately did not eclipse.
This was a bit surprising. After all, Trump paved the way for the race. Congress initially refused to authorize it, but following a call from IndyCar owner Roger Penske, the president approved the event via executive order.
Penske is a Trump financial supporter, donating over $1 million to his 2024 presidential campaign and hundreds of thousands of dollars to other Republican candidates and PACs. Penske Corporation is also listed as a sponsor of Freedom 250, the White House-affiliated semiquincentennial group behind our fireworks and fair. The “Freedom 250” portion of the Grand Prix’s logo looks identical to a version of the Freedom 250 logo available on the organization’s website, and Freedom 250 LLC was also listed as a “sanctioning body” of the race on some press credentials.
Still, both Freedom 250 and the Freedom 250 Grand Prix told Washingtonian that Freedom 250 was involved in organizing or funding the race—instead, IndyCar and Penske seemed to be running the show, while funding reportedly upwards of $35 million was fronted by the Penske Corporation and its owner.
And maybe that’s part of why the vibe at the event didn’t feel overwhelmingly Trump-y. The Great American State Fair and Fourth of July celebration were filled with MAGA and Trump paraphernalia; it sometimes seemed that people were wearing more Trump merch than American flag gear. At the race, by contrast, attire was largely nonpartisan. Many attendees wore red, white, and blue attire or merch from the race specifically, while others wore IndyCar shirts or swag from their favorite drivers. There was the occasional Trump/JD Vance hat, and even some stuff reading “Make Racing Great Again.” Most of the red hats in the crowd, however, were actually branded by Firestone, the tire company.
The military’s presence was notable. There were seven (!) flyovers involving every branch of the armed forces, as well as some slightly more subtle connections. At the Air National Guard Fan Zone on the National Mall, I watched children climb around in what I later read on a placard was an “Infantry Squad Vehicle Troop Carrier,” meant to “protect occupants during operations.” There was also a nursing room (a nice touch) made from a Conex container, massive steel shipping boxes often converted by the military into modular housing. Meanwhile, the American Legion advertised a sweepstakes at their booth where you could “Win this Humvee!”
You could argue that this was Trump-coded—within MAGA, patriotism and war-fighting often go hand-in-hand. However, most of what I saw scanned as innocuous Americana: a “Red, White, and BBQ” food stall, patriotic oversized Connect Four sets, and tons of other patriotic paraphernalia. People gathered around with food (I tried the pulled pork sandwich, a 4/10 at best) and watched the race on large screens. You could almost hear the grass, just recovered from the Great American State Fair, sighing beneath our feet.
(Perhaps the most Trump-y touch was a military, police, and federal agent presence everywhere you went. I understand the need for security, especially when high-profile individuals are in attendance, but even during Saturday’s Trump-free qualifying races, you couldn’t look in any direction without seeing members of the National Guard, Drug Enforcement Agency, Federal Protective Service, or US Marshalls. It felt similar to the National Guard’s time in DC—lots of people just standing around and talking to each other, clearly lacking prescribed duties.)
As for the race itself? I’m not a huge fan, so I can’t comment with any authority on how thrilling the action was. What I can report is that fans and drivers alike appeared genuinely excited. While there were certainly people attending who didn’t know much about IndyCar—I noticed several Google searches on “What does ___ mean in IndyCar” happening around me in the grandstands—people mostly seemed happy to be there, coalescing around cars going vroom-vroom, very fast, and not the current occupant of the White House.
Of course, that doesn’t meant that Trump didn’t find ways to insert himself into the picture. He took a lap in the presidential limo around the course, and proudly waved the green flag to start the race. Fox Sports dabbled in Trumpmaxxing, too, posting a montage video celebrating our “Sports President.” After the race, one of the network’s reporters asked winning driver Kyle Kirkwood what it was like to triumph in front of the President and First Lady.
“It felt good to dominate out there, I’m not gonna lie,” Kirkwood said. “It was a really good moment. I’m a fellow Florida guy, I live up in Jupiter, so it’s cool to see him down here.”
Kirkwood said all of this while wearing a red hat—but the hat was Firestone-branded. He also moved on quickly, choosing to talk about the event: how cool it was to drive on the streets of DC, and how he’d love to have another race here given the chance. Ultimately, it was that kind of weekend, a welcome reminder that there’s more to the city and country than one man and his insatiable need to be at the center of everything. It’s been a long summer, but fall is coming.
