By David G. Firestone
So I was going to discuss this last week, but then the Formula E news broke, and I was happy. This week, I need to discuss my thoughts on this week’s IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix from Washington DC.
Originally, I wasn’t going to discuss this, but then I had a conversation at work, with people who follow the news but aren’t racing fans. The question they had for me was: Why IndyCar? I thought about it, and I realized, that there was only one answer: Who else could it have been?
To answer that question, we need to look at the man who willed this event into existence, President Donald Trump. Trump is very controversial, even by modern political standards. This is why it was going to be IndyCar, because most other major racing series have no desire to work with him, given his track record of controversy.
NASCAR has felt this before. Between the PR issues with his appearance at the 2020 and 2025 Daytona 500’s, and the PR disaster that was Let’s Go Brandon, NASCAR wants nothing to do with Trump. This, by default, also excludes ARCA and IMSA, as both are owned by NASCAR.
The only other major series that Trump could have gotten was Formula 1, but the war in Iran forced the cancellations of not one, but TWO F1 events in 2026, which have caused legal and financial issues. Even F1 doesn’t want to do business with Trump.
The rest of the possibilities include Formula E, which doesn’t get live covergage in the US. The NHRA, which wouldn’t work on a street setting, due to safety issues. Aside from that, there isn’t anyone else. So, since all other options have been depleted, IndyCar gets the DC race.
What makes this even worse for IndyCar is the fact that this will turn off some viewers. Since Indycar is getting better numbers with the FOX deal, this is another problem. Fans of racing stopped watching because of how the various series were being run over the years. Is it really a stretch that a controversial politician involved in a race will turn people off? Ask NASCAR, they certainly know!
Also, is it really hard for IndyCar to have a season without a race that causes issues? I praised IndyCar for getting rid of The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix, which added nothing and subtracted a lot. But adding the The IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix is much worse, given the issues I’ve discussed.
I won’t be watching live, I’ll be watching the Dollar Tree 301 from New Hampshire, and I’ll watch the Freedom 250 on the DVR. I hope nothing goes wrong, but I’m a realist, not an optimist.
The Driver Suit Blog 