President Donald Trump has signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to clear the way for an IndyCar race to be held on the streets of Washington, D.C., in August as part of the country's semiquincentennial celebrations. The order directs the transportation and interior secretaries to expedite all necessary permits and approvals for what will be called the 'Freedom 250 Grand Prix', working with the city's mayor, Muriel Bowser, to establish a course around the National Mall.
The event is being organised by the IndyCar series owned by Roger Penske, a billionaire Republican donor whom Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019. Speaking at a ceremony in the Oval Office, Penske described the race as a fitting way to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Fox Sports, part of the Fox Corporation owned by Trump ally Rupert Murdoch, will help produce the event.
Washington, D.C., last hosted a major auto race in 2002, when the American LeMans Series held the Grand Prix of Washington near the RFK Stadium. That event was not renewed the following year due to noise complaints from local residents. The upcoming race is part of the Freedom250 initiative, a Trump administration project separate from the bipartisan U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission established under Barack Obama.
Alongside the race, the Freedom250 effort is also funding a Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the White House lawn on June 14, which coincides with Flag Day and Trump's 80th birthday.
