Spectators began pouring into the center of Washington, DC, on Saturday to catch the first day of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a two-day street racing event whose revving engines will echo amid the nearby US Capitol and the city’s neoclassic national museums.
The portion of 3rd street that will serve as the start and finish line is painted cobalt blue, with a thick black-and-white checkered flag band overshadowing the more mundane stripes of a nearby crosswalk. Large metal fencing stands erected around the site to protect those who’ve flocked to the IndyCar event to watch the sleekly designed cars fly past at speeds up to 180 miles per hour.
With a host of preliminary races on the schedule, the festivities on Saturday are a buildup to the main race on Sunday, which, according to the White House, President Donald Trump plans to attend. The 1.66-mile track caps off a summer of celebrations commemorating the nation’s 250th birthday.
The president fast tracked the race with a January executive order, bypassing local bureaucratic hurdles and making the event that is expected to draw nearly 300,000 people over two days a reality less than a year after its pitch by Penske Corporation president, Bud Denker.
