Exclusive | Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy hopeful IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix will bring America together
WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is hoping the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix this weekend “brings America together” in a first-of-its-kind racing event that will showcase some of the sport’s top drivers — and President Trump — lapping historic sites in the nation’s capital.“The president loves sports,” Duffy told The Post in an exclusive interview on the 1.66-mile track Thursday.“He’s an enthusiast, as you saw with UFC, and now with this.”“And I think if you look at the political divide in America, this is an event that brings America together,” he added.
“Cars and racing is freedom and American.”DC’s first IndyCar event is the brainchild of Duffy, Roger Penske and Penske Corporation president Bud Denker.The race will see cars speed through seven turns along the National Mall for a total of 147 laps, or 250 miles, before arriving at the finish line.Drivers are expected to hit speeds of up to 190 miles an hour as they rocket down Pennsylvania Avenue, which Duffy said required most manhole covers to be fastened down.“They’ve had to take grinders out to take off some of the bumps,” Duffy explained.
“They’ve been grinding on the street where they feel like it’s just a little bit too much … to eliminate or alleviate as much as possible.But this is road racing, right? Road racing.
You have manhole covers.And so it’s going to be a unique race.”Organizers had initially hoped to create a route that circled the Capitol itself but the plans were never approved, so the track shifted slightly to the west in order to round the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.The start-finish line falls right by the Capitol’s reflecting pool.“We’re going to have to have our drivers pay close attention, and we have some really tight turns as we navigate this course,” Duffy said.
“But it is the skill of the driver that’s going to win this Sunday.”The transportation boss said he’...