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The NTT IndyCar Series is set to hit the streets of Washington, DC for the first time on August 23rd, and now we know when the green flag will fly.
There’s absolutely no doubt about it: the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, DC will be a spectacle, with cars racing past some of the most iconic monuments our nation has to offer.
As such, it gets the level of coverage it deserves.
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Practice sessions 1 and 2 will be shown on Saturday, August 22 on FS1 and FS2 respectively. The qualification takes place the same evening from 5 to 6:30 PM ET on FS2.
Then on Sunday morning, regulars from the IndyCar broadcast booth — lap-by-lap commentator Will Buxton, along with former drivers turned broadcasters Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe — will call the warm-up from 9 to 10 a.m. ET on FS1.
IndyCar will celebrate America’s 250th birthday with the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
After that, extended pre-race coverage will begin on FOX at 11:30 a.m. ET, with the race starting shortly after 1 p.m. ET.
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On top of the IndyCar action, the International Race of Champions, or IROC, returns as a support series for the weekend. They race on Saturday, with IndyCar greats Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan participating along with NASCAR legends Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Rusty Wallace and Bill Elliott, using the same Pontiac Firebirds that the original IROC series used from 1996 to 2006.
IndyCar drivers (from left) David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist and Alex Palou visited the White House this week. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)
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There’s a lot of excitement surrounding this unique addition to the 2026 IndyCar calendar, and this week reigning series champion Alex Palou, Indy 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist and Team Penske’s David Malukas were all at the White House to meet with President Donald Trump and bust out some pit stop practice.
IndyCar has another big weekend ahead as the series heads to Nashville Superspeedway for the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, which will air on FOX immediately after the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals.
