I replied that there was no way it would happen during the 2026 season, which was only about a month away from starting at the time.The track needed to be designed, built and made safe before cars could get on it, not to mention all of the fan areas and other logistics.But seven months later, I was on a plane to the nation's capital to see the Freedom 250 Grand Prix for myself, and, man, was I ever wrong.WORLD CUP ENERGY CARRIES INTO FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX AS GLOBAL FANS CELEBRATE AMERICA'S HISTORIC BIRTHDAYFans line a building along Pennsylvania Avenue to get a bird's-eye view of IndyCar's Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
(Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images)Not only did it work, but it was the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle it promised to be.And, if there's any way, it needs to happen again.For starters, there's really never been a backdrop like it.It was pretty awe-inspiring to see the Capitol and the Washington Monument towering over the circuit and to see every rooftop and terrace lined with people trying to get a view of the track.The turnout on both days was incredible, and that, of course, is largely due to the fact that tickets were free.
It was an unbeatable deal, even if the merch was not the cheapest I've ever seen.I bought an event poster that I thought would be like $10, and it was $60 because it was printed on canvas.That said, the food was fairly affordable, with the priciest thing I saw being a crab cake sandwich for $25.It's not a deal, but you won't have to skip a mortgage payment for a burger like you might at an F1 race.One critique would be that they needed more screens around the track.
Especially when you consider the nature of a street circuit, you really can't have too many screens.I believe I counted four in the one fan area on the National Mall, and none if you were watching from the outside part of the track.That's a bit of a problem, because as anyone who has been to a street race can tell you, it can sometimes be hard to see a lot of the track.The...