Trump Takes Lap In ‘The Beast’ At IndyCar’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix

President Donald Trump climbed into the armored presidential limousine and circled a racetrack wrapped around the nation’s capital to launch the first IndyCar event ever staged in Washington.

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Trump piloted a ceremonial lap in “the Beast” around the 1.7-mile street course near the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, opening the Freedom 250 Grand Prix as the closing showpiece of the city’s summer celebrations for America’s 250th birthday, according to the New York Post. Air Force One passed above the track during the run, following earlier military flyovers that featured a B-2 bomber. First lady Melania Trump joined the president afterward to wave the green flag.

Two Medal of Honor recipients, Command Sgt. Maj. Matt Williams and Col. Paris Davis, handed Trump the flag before the start, the Post reported. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered the drivers to start their engines. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was set to close the race with the checkered flag. (RELATED: Here’s What To Expect From DC’s First-Ever Car Race, ‘Freedom 250’)

“They’ve been trying to do it for 20 years,” Trump said before the lap. “It turned out to be, I think, bigger and better. And the weather is beautiful. You know, I was hearing about rain all week long.”

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The race exists because of an executive order Trump signed on Jan. 30, 2026, titled “Celebrating American Greatness With American Motor Racing,” federal records . The order gave the Interior and Transportation departments 14 days to map a route through Washington and called it the first motor race ever held in the capital. The Transportation Department announced the plan the same day, with Duffy declaring, “Freedom doesn’t ring, it revs!”

Drivers faced 147 laps across roughly 250 miles, according to the Post. Alex Palou started from pole after posting the fastest qualifying lap and carried a 133-point championship lead into the weekend, IndyCar reported. Event chair Bud Denker, president of Penske Corp., told NPR the race was a one-time affair tied to the anniversary.

Mary Okin of the Living New Deal told ABC News her group feared vibrations from the cars could damage 1940s frescoes inside the Wilbur J. Cohen Building, a former home of the Social Security Administration.

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