IndyCar and the U.S. Department of Transportation revealed the track layout for the first of its kind Freedom 250 Grand Prix, which is scheduled for the weekend of August 21-23.
The track crisscrosses the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol building and has its main .4-mile straight and pit lane along Pennsylvania Avenue.
The seven-turn 1.66-mile course passes by the National Air and Space Museum, National Archives and features the Washington Monument in the background.
The design is much different from the one proposed when the race was announced in January, when organizers were aiming for it to run from the U.S. Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill to the Lincoln Memorial on the other end of the National Mall and back, which would have been more than four miles in length.
“This circuit is unlike any other street race we’ve seen,” IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden said in a news release after touring the streets the circuit will be built on.
“You’ve got a high‑speed section down Pennsylvania Avenue that will reward commitment and precision, mixed with technical corners around 9th Street that will demand respect. Racing through the heart of American history, with those amazing landmarks lining the course, is going to be incredibly powerful. I can’t wait to be back here to race and celebrate America’s birthday at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.”
The race was a late addition to the schedule and stretched the season to 18 races. Admission to the weekend will be free and a full schedule will be released at a later date.
