Times are Eastern. Milwaukee is in the Central Time Zone
Friday
6-7:30 p.m. IndyCar Practice FS1
Saturday
9-9:50 am: NXT Practice FS2
11 am: IndyCar Qualifying FS1
12:30 pm: NXT Qualifying FS1
2:30 p.m. ET: IndyCar Race FOX 250 laps 250 miles
Sun
10:15-10:30 am: IndyCar Warmup No TV
11 am: NXT Race FS1
1 pm: IndyCar Race FOX 250 laps 250 miles
Kyle Kirkwood drove a masterful race, exerting complete control to win the Freedom 250 on Sunday. Kirkwood grabbed the lead the lead from pole sitter Alex Palou at the start of the race and only relinquished the top spot when he pitted. Kirkwood cut the deficit to Alex Palou to just 91 points with three races to go. It is still quite a mountain to climb, and Palou would have to have three more results like yesterday’s to lose the title.
Palou’s day unraveled on the first pit stop with trouble changing the right front tire and a penalty for hitting Mick Schumacher’s pit equipment. Palou finished 20th.
The race was better than I expected, with some battles behind Kirkwood and a lot less carnage than I anticipated. Scott McLaughlin created some late drama when got by Kirkwood briefly on a late restart only to hit the wail in the next turn. Kirkwood got a better jump on the final restart and pulled away to a three second margin at the checkered flag.
Some thoughts:
It was a great day for Andretti Global with Will Power finishing third and Marcus Ericsson fourth. Christian Lundgaard spoile the all Andretti podium.
Will Power continued his strong second nhalf of the season. He has consistently been in the top five since July and is now 10th innthe standings.
Three drivers had rarae appearances in the top 10. Kyffin Simpson finished fifth, Nolan Siegel sixth, and Caio Collet ended the day in ninth.
While Palou’s bda day was an aberration, McLaughlin’s misfortune was just another day in what has to be a frustrating season for the Ne Zeralander. I hope he can have a strong finish to his season and come back with a great 2027 campaign.
From the few television shots I saw, the venue looked great from the air. i’m sure the presentation was great, and I hope the ratings are excellent and the series gets a lot of momentum and good PR from this event.
However, I felt the fans in attendance, and there were many, could have been offered more. The only video boards were on the mall, so a choice had to be made- stand at trackside, where the sightline s were terrible and watch roll hoops zipping by, or got to the mall and do what could be done at home- watching on a television.
We arrived at the gate early. The published policies satted that each person could bring one clear plastic water bottle. There was no issue Saturday, but yesterday morning we were informed that no water bottles were allowed. Several people, including m friend, had to throw away very nice plastic water bottles. The guards’ expalantion- “They changed the rules.” Thanks for telling everyone.
I started the race with my friends between turns 5 and 7. We had no video bords or public address system. The only part of the opening ceremonies we heard was the last two thirds of the national anthem.
Relying on the unreliable IndyCar app was not a great option. After 20 laps the crowd started thinning out. We went to the Museum of the American Indian to have lunch in an air conditioned setting, then went to the mall to watch the secoind half of the race. Thgere we learned there was a PA system.
The few bleachers available were unreservd, and fans arrived very early to get a place. If they left to get refgreshments or a bathroom break, others were allowed in, and the ones who left had to wait on line to get back in. We passed a line of 40 people awaiting entry to one of the grandstands.
All in all, D. C. was the elast fan friendly race I have ever been to. As you know I have been to a couple of races.
I felt as if the fans were let in free to just be unpaid extras in a television production. Viewers got to see races cars whizzing by historic buildings with a multitude of fans in the back ground.
There are conflicting rumors about this event’s return next year. If it does come back, tickets will likely not be free. I would not pay to attend.
From Indycar Officiating:
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.
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.”
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.
From IndyCar Officiating:
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.
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:
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 