Summer in Washington began with a UFC fight on the White House lawn. It’ll conclude this weekend with an IndyCar race on the streets around the National Mall.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix — which President Donald Trump established through an executive order in January — will take place Saturday and Sunday.
It marks the final major summer event in D.C. organized through Freedom 250, the public-private partnership that the White House launched to celebrate the nation’s birthday and that Trump has fashioned into a cornerstone of his second term.
Here’s what to know if you’re planning to attend this weekend.
When is the race?
Practice races are set to begin shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday and continue throughout the day. On Sunday, the race is set to begin at 1:10 p.m. Twenty-five drivers are slated to compete.
The venue opens to the public at 8 a.m. on both days.
What is the race route?
The course begins on Third Street SW, near the Capitol Reflecting Pool. It will go up Pennsylvania Avenue, around the National Archives, and hit Ninth and Seventh streets before turning onto Independence Avenue and looping back to Third.
The 147-lap race will cover around 250 miles.
How to get around
Extensive road closures (and bus detours) are expected through the weekend, so officials recommend attendees take Metro.
There are eight Metro stations — L’Enfant Plaza, Smithsonian, Federal Center SW, Archives, Federal Triangle, Metro Center, Gallery Place and Judiciary Square — that serve areas near the race, according to the Washington area Metropolitan Transit Authority. The rail system will run with normal weekend service, with additional trains on standby for the end of the race.
To commemorate the event, WMATA is selling a limited-edition Metro card, featuring an IndyCar on a red, which and blue track, at select stations.
Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration said it expects to halt flights at Reagan National Airport for three hours Sunday to accommodate the race. Dozens of flights have been affected, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
How to watch the race
Organizers said last month they expect 140,000 attendees per day, including 70,000 within the race circuit. General admission tickets to the event were free, but those are all gone.
Spectators will only be able to access the viewing area listed on their ticket — either Stars or Stripes.
To watch the race up close, Champion’s Club tickets are still available for purchase. Weekend passes, which include food and drink, are still available for nearly $5,500 each.
The Sunday race will also be broadcast on Fox.
Expect airport-style security
It’s all hands on deck for security at the event, Matt Quinn, deputy director of the Secret Service, said at a July news briefing.
“You’re going to see a large uniformed presence,” Quinn said, including Secret Service agents, Secret Service police officers, D.C. police, U.S. Park Police and the FBI.
D.C. police will be on full activation from Friday through Sunday, interim chief Jeffery Carroll said at the briefing, meaning all available officers will be deployed across the District.
Attendees should expect airport-style security to enter the event area, Quinn said. All bags entering the venue must be clear, according to Freedom 250. Prohibited items include coolers, aerosols, balloons, alcohol, food and selfie-sticks. Smoking, including electronic cigarettes, is also prohibited.
Drones are also prohibited, Quinn said. “I would think twice in the most restricted airspace in the country,” he said in July.
Will water be available?
Attendees are permitted to bring one empty plastic water bottle to be used at refill stations, which will be available throughout the venue, according to the event’s website. Outside food or beverages will not be permitted but will be sold during the event.
Officials encouraged attendees to check the weather forecast, and dress and hydrate accordingly. Cooling stations will also be available in the event area.
What’s up with the manhole covers?
Penske Corp., which owns IndyCar, has been preparing the 1.66-mile racetrack for weeks, including by welding down all 220 manholes in the race area to prevent them from going flying when racecars zip over them.
If left unwelded, the manholes would be like a pressure cooker, said Neil Johnson, a physics professor at George Washington University. “These things would fire up like ballistic shells into the car,” he said. “It would probably kill a driver.”
Once the races are over, the manhole work will be reversed. Penske Corp. is responsible for most of the costs associated with putting on the event.
Museum access will be restricted
Three Smithsonian museums on the National Mall — the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, and National Museum of Natural History — are located within the Grand Prix’s ticketed-access zones.
People wishing to visit these museums on Saturday and Sunday will need a Grand Prix ticket, the Smithsonian said.
The National Gallery of Art studied whether vibrations caused by the racecars would impact its art, but the museum declined to share what it found.
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