President Donald Trump on Monday spent the early afternoon showcasing INDYCAR vehicles that will participate in a first-of-its-kind race in Washington, D.C. in August.
“Unprecedented events will take place next month right here in our nation’s capital. On Aug. 22 and 23,” Trump said, standing outside the White House on Executive Avenue where an INDYCAR pit stop was demonstrated for the president.
“It will be an awesome display of American patriotism and raw horsepower ingenuity,” Trump said. “You’re going to see cars at the level that they’ve never been at before, with cars racing more than 190 mph and even higher than that down Pennsylvania Avenue.”
The 47th president stood flanked by three INDYCAR racers, including 2026 Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist, on his right. On his left stood Penske Corporation founder and chairman Roger Penske, the company’s president, Bud Denker, and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.
“It wasn’t exactly designed for that,” Trump joked of the upcoming race down the National Mall and streets of Washington, D.C.
“But what Sean Duffy has done with these incredible, brilliant people is really amazing. It’s going to be a sight for the ages,” the president continued. “It really will be something special, and they’re going to go all around the National Mall at speeds that are not quite, if we did that during the regular day, I think people would be put in jail, perhaps for the rest of their lives.”
Penske said that more than 250,000 members of the public have signed up to attend the events next month, which was established by an executive order Jan. 30 and is free of charge to attend.
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“When you think about 250 years of this country, it’s an amazing time,” Penske said.
“It’s a great place to live. It’s a great place to work, and I think we’re fortunate to have the most important office in the world give us the green light and then the checkered flag to have this event in August.”
When the remarks concluded, an INDYCAR driver demonstrated a pit stop, accelerating down Executive Avenue, showcasing the race car’s roaring engines. It stopped for only six seconds at the pit stop, where the crew quickly changed all four tires before the car sped off, leaving a cloud of burning rubber behind.
The Grand Prix will take place Aug. 22-23, when INDYCAR racers, whose vehicles have the ability to top 200 mph, will zoom around the nation’s capital for the first time in history, according to the White House.
The course, described as “picturesque” by the race organizers, will be a 1.7-mile seven-turn circuit including a .4-mile front stretch along Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House, according to the official website for the race.
The track’s pit lane area will be adjacent to Pennsylvania Avenue, between turns one and two on the circuit, according to race organizers.
The INDYCAR field will race by a number of well-known institutions in the nation’s capital, including the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art and the National Archives.
The event offers free general admission and is open to the public. There are also a limited number of free tickets that allow attendees to access areas inside the track.
