D.C. Starting Tire Selections
More Grid Penalties
From Indycar Officiating:
IndyCar’s Big Day
The venue looked immaculate. The area around the institutions of national government and culture had a new , well-built race track, and the fan zone and food court were laid out nicely. Entry was well organized and just a few steps from the Metro station.
Fans came in droves, and every are seemed area seemed packed wigth people.I talked to a group of race fans from Baltimore who were very excited to have race return to their part of the country. They had attended the Baltimore races and truly loved them. thei group is one segment of fan IndyCar is trying to recapture.
I talked to some other fans who have seen other forms of racing, and are attending their first IndyCar event. They liked what they had seen so far. All in all, today was a huge PR boost for the series.
Vor the serious fans, and I think this might be an issue tomorrow for the newer croad,, elements were lacking. There is dearth of video boards along the track itself. As in n one. No PA system was in place to keep fans informed. I am pretty sure not many new spectators have the IndyCar app, and for those of who did, it proved very unreliable.
I had no idea how qualifying was going. Several video boards are in the food area, and I get that. But if I wanted to watch the race without seeing the track, I would have stayed hoere is a paucity of bleachers, and if you leave your seat, you need to stand in line until enough people leave me.
Sightlines around the track are not great. Grandstands are few, and they were constantly full. People lined up waiting for a seat to open, and the person who left had to get back in line and wait to reenter.
While the day was a fantastic shot in the arm for IndyCar, I hope some improvements in fan information can be worrked out for tomorrow.
Qualifying
Alex Palou grabbed another pole as the series reverted to the single car street course Fast Six. Palou edged Kyle Kirkwood to set up afront row we have seen before this season.
Incredible,” Palou said. “Such a privilege to be racing here. Spectacular place, spectacular fans, as well. My car was on rails. Super-fun lap, super-fun car to drive. Couldn’t be happier. Looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, man, 250 miles.”
Rdesults
I will be leaving very early for the track tomorrow and I will have a brief race review tomorrow evening and a more complete report Monday night after I return home.
D. c. Qualifying Groups
D.C. Grid Penalty
From IndyCar Officiating:
D. C. Weekend Begins
The schedule;
Weather from @Indycar_Wxman
Good morning from just outside Washington, D. C., my headquarters for this weekend. I will be heading to the track for Practice 2, which sounds like it will be the wettest part of the day. I am looking forward to seeing the layout, and of course to see race cars run.
The most positive to thing to come out of this weekend is the enormous amount of publicity IndyCar is receiving. The race will probably not be that great, the atmosphere and setting are not to everyone’s liking, but I have heard IndyCar mentioned on outlets that never even give the series a first thought.
Qualifying reverts to single car runs in the Fast Six. I was warming up to this new way of settling the pole, but last week when the series used the former all car Fast Six, I found that I like that better. I enjoy giving drivers the chance to defend and reclaim the top spot. I hope IndyCar goes back to the six minute all car scramble. The only drama in the single car shootout is which spot the team strategist picks.
My plan for the day is to check out as much of the track as I can. It appears fan movement maybe restricted. (Freedom?). I hope to get some photos of cars (spoiler alert-they are red, white, and blue), and perhaps talk to some first time fans. I am just a fan this weekend. From the amount of media accredited for the weekend, I’m glad that I decided to go this route.
I will have quick news items on X @tutorindie or The Pit Window on Facebook during the day. All session results will be posted tonight.
D. C. Race Preview
IndyCar is set for its second new street course race in as many weeks. this time on the streets of Washington, D.C. It’s a venue that has created controversy for many reasons, which I will not rehash here. I am going to stick strictly to the race itself.
My coverage will be different for this two-day show. I am not attending as a media member, but only as a fan. Look for lighter coverage than usual. I can hear the rejoicing already.
I expressed my feelings about this event when it was first announced, and some of my feelings haven’t changed. A link to that post is at the end of this post.
Sunday’s race is the final street race of the season, a late addit5ionb to the schedule. Everything appears to be in place and ready to go, a contrast to last week’s issues.
The seven-turn track consists almost entirely of 90-degree corners, which doesn’t usually make for great racing. It would be hard to top the show we witnessed last week at Markham.
At 250 miles, D.C. is the longest street race in IndyCar history. My thought is that itis much too long, especially on a circuit that doesn’t look very fast. The race could be more about who is left at the end.
With Alex Palou having all but clinched the championship, there are still some things to watch for. – the battle for second place, Rookie of the Year, and the final Leader’s Circle spot are all still very much in play.
Kyle Kirkwood still holds second place by four points over David Malukas despite crashing at Markham. The two have swapped positions for several races this summer. I think Kirkwood has a good chance to extend his advantage in the standings. Their battle has allowed Palou to extend his lead, which is now 133 points.
Only 38 points separate the three rookies on the 2026 grid. Dennis Hauger leads Caio Collet by 31 points and Mick Schumacher by 38 points. Collet has not had many breaks lately, and Schumacher has shown steady improvement. I look for Schumacher to get ahead of Collet in the next couple of weeks, but I don’t see Hauger losing the Rookie of the Year title.
Christian Rasmussen currently has the final Leader’s circle spot by six points over Collet. To say that the racing gods have not been kind to either of them over the past few weeks is an understatement. Both have had DNFs. Rasnussen’s bonus points from Phoenix are the difference right now.
For Sunday’s race, Andretti Global should have an even stronger showing than they had at Markham. No engine penalties will affect Kirkwood’s or Will Power’s starting spot, and Marcus Ericssaon will again be very quick. Depending on the amount of mayhem, I think this trio will dominate the race.
My pick for the win is Will Power. The 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner has been close to the top step of the podium often during the second half of the season, and Sunday will be his day.
My previous post:
Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. Fast Facts
| From IndyCar: Race weekend: Saturday, Aug. 22-Sunday, Aug. 23 Track: Streets of Washington, D.C., a 1.7-mile, seven-turn temporary street course (counterclockwise) in Washington, D.C. Media Links: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Entry List (PDF) | Trackside Media Guide (Interactive PDF) | Weekend Event Schedule (PDF) Race distance: 147 laps / 250 miles Push-to-pass parameters: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation. Hybrid energy deployment parameters: Unlimited activation with a maximum deployment of 265 kilojoules (kj) per lap Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, five sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and two sets of alternate tires for at least two laps in the race. X: @Freedom250GP, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR Instagram: @Freedom250GP, @IndyCar, #INDYCAR Facebook: @Freedom250GP, @IndyCar, #INDYCAR TikTok: @IndyCar, #INDYCAR YouTube: @INDYCAR Event website: www.freedom250gp.com INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com 2025 race winner: Inaugural event Qualifying record: Inaugural event FOX Sports telecasts: Practice 1, 9 a.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Practice 2, 1 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Qualifying, 5 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Warmup Show/Final Practice, 9 a.m. ET Sunday, FS1; Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. Pre-Race Show, 11:30 a.m. ET, FOX; Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, FOX (live). Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters, with Jamie Little providing special reports. Chris Myers hosts FOX’s special, expanded pre-race coverage, alongside Helio Castroneves and Danica Patrick. Tom Rinaldi will offer special features and interviews. All sessions air on FOX One. INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query is the turn announcer. Jonathan Grace and Alex Wollf are the pit reporters. The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. race (12:30 p.m. ET Sunday) can be heard live on network affiliates nationwide. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES race, NTT P1 Award Qualifying (5 p.m. ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices also air live on SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 218, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. At-track schedule (All Times Local/Eastern Time): Saturday, Aug. 22 9:05-10:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1 (split group format), FS1 1:05-2:30 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 (split group format), FS2 5-6:30 p.m. – NTT P1 Award qualifying (two rounds of knockout qualifying followed by Firestone Fast Six single-car pole showdown), FS2 Sunday, Aug. 23 9:15-9:45 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warmup, FS1 11:30 a.m. – FOX Pre-Race Show on air 1:06 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines” 1:13 p.m. – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. (147 laps/250 miles), FOX (Live) NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship facts: Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with four races to go for the fifth time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. Palou also led the championship with four races to go races to go in his championship-winning seasons in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Palou has led the point standings after 10 of the 14 races this season. There are nine drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Alex Palou, Kyle Kirkwood, David Malukas, Christian Lundgaard, Pato O’Ward, Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Ericsson. Any driver who trails the points leader by 162 points or more following the race will be eliminated from contention. Since 2008, when INDYCAR SERIES racing unified under the NTT INDYCAR SERIES banner, the eventual series champion has won the 15th race of the season three times. The most recent occurrence was 2005 when Dan Wheldon won at Chicagoland Speedway. Other drivers to win the 15th race of their championship season were Sam Hornish Jr. (2002) and Juan Pablo Montoya (1999). Key championship point statistic: Since 2008, the largest deficit overcome by the eventual champion was 59 points by Dario Franchitti in 2010. Scott Dixon overcame Juan Pablo Montoya’s 54-point lead in 2015. The top two drivers in the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings – Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood — are separated by 133 points. Point differential: The 133 points that separate Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood is the largest point margin since 2008. Before this season, the average lead with four races to go since 2008 was 35.7 points. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes: The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. will be the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the streets of Washington, D.C., although the series did race in nearby Baltimore from 2011-2013. The 250-mile race distance makes it the second-longest street or temporary circuit race in INDYCAR SERIES history. The Streets of Washington, D.C. is the sixth road or street circuit to debut on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar since 2021. Chip Ganassi Racing drivers won three debut races. Marcus Ericsson won the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville in 2021. Alex Palou won the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear when it debuted its new course in downtown Detroit in 2023 and at the Thermal Club in 2025. Andretti Global drivers have won the last two debut events. Kyle Kirkwood won on the streets of Arlington in March, and Marcus Ericsson won on the streets of Markham last weekend. The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. is the last of six temporary street races on the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. Alex Palou won at St. Petersburg on March 1, Long Beach on April 19 and Detroit on May 31. Kyle Kirkwood won on the streets of Arlington on March 15, and Marcus Ericsson won on the streets of Markham on Aug. 16. Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 372nd consecutive start, extending his record streak…Graham Rahal will attempt to make his 271st consecutive start, the third-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Josef Newgarden will attempt to make his 248th consecutive start, tying Marco Andretti for the fourth-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Dixon can also extend his record to 434 career starts with a start Sunday…Scott McLaughlin is scheduled to make his 100th INDYCAR SERIES start. |
D. C. Track Map
The track map for this weekend. It appears fans will not have freedom to move around the entire track. Ironic
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 