Off To The Race

The useful part

Doing 200 in a 25 mph zone with manhole cover-displacing torque AP News By WILL WEISSERT August 6, 2026 The speed limit along Pennsylvania Avenue is 25 mph. The open-wheel race cars roaring through the longest straightaway of the upcoming Washington IndyCar race organized by President Donald Trump could be going nearly eight times that fast. "If we did that during the regular day, I think people would be put in jail, perhaps for the rest of their lives," Trump joked recently while hosting an IndyCar pit crew at the White House to hype the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.

How it works

• 22 and 23, features vehicles that typically reach street-course speeds approaching 200 mph and have enough torque to tear off manhole covers.
• It is the latest — and the fastest — of the major events Trump has hosted against the backdrop of America's 250th birthday, a larger celebration he has made as much about himself as possible.
• [...] The IndyCar event will be 250 miles (400 kilometers) over 147 laps on a 1.66-mile (2.67-kilometer) track featuring seven turns.
• Series owner Roger Penske, whom Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019, led the effort to make the race happen in the District of Columbia.
• He gave the president a racing helmet, urging him to wear it "when you're riding around in The Beast, leading the field to the green flag" — a traditional prerace kickoff that may feature the presidential limo.