WASHINGTON — President Trump’s motorcade is expected to take a ceremonial lap Sunday around the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix circuit in Washington, DC, before elite racecars roar through the capital’s streets, an administration source told The Post on Tuesday.
The 1.66-mile street course starts and finishes at the foot of Capitol Hill, placing one of America’s most recognizable landmarks at the center of what is being billed as the first professional motorsports race held inside the nation’s capital.
From there, the course moves in the direction of the White House along the same roadway traditionally associated with inaugural parades, then bends sharply near the National Archives before cutting across the National Mall.
Drivers will then circle past the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian before charging toward the finish line.
Trump is set to attend the race from the viewing stands alongside first lady Melania Trump, marking another high-profile sporting event tied to celebrations of America’s 250th birthday.
The race is scheduled to begin shortly after 1 p.m. ET, while pre-race events, including military flyovers, are expected to get underway at 11:30 a.m.
The DC Grand Prix comes after Trump hosted a UFC event on the White House South Lawn on June 14.
Trump’s presidential armored limousine, widely known as “the Beast,” has made similar ceremonial appearances before, including a lap ahead of the 2020 Daytona 500 and another at NASCAR’s Great American Race last year.
The IndyCar event — the brainchild of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — is happening despite initial resistance from congressional Democrats to displaying commercial advertisements on the vehicles.
