’Freedom 250’ IndyCar event planned for National Mall as free public celebration

The White House hosted an event announcing a planned IndyCar street race, referred to in the transcript as the “Freedom 250,” to mark the country’s 250th anniversary. The president introduced Roger Penske and other partners and said organizers had selected a preferred route on federal grounds for a race weekend in August.

Roger Penske, identified in the transcript as chairman of Penske Corporation, thanked the president and said bringing IndyCar history to the capital would be “amazing,” noting the organization’s capacity to stage large events. Eric Shanks of Fox Sports, identified in the remarks as the event’s media partner, told the audience Fox would apply large-scale production experience to the race.

Sean Duffy, introduced in the transcript as the secretary of transportation, described DOT’s role in developing the concept after a presidential directive and said “most of the grounds will be free,” framing the event as a public celebration. Bud Danker, identified in the transcript as president of Penske Corporation, said the group had worked with local partners, including Mayor Bowser, and that the goal was a free public event to celebrate the country’s history.

Speakers described the event as multi-day — with references in the transcript to activity across Aug. 21–23 and a race around Aug. 23 — and emphasized logistics such as road width and crowds. Organizers repeatedly framed the event as an economic boon for Washington and said it was intended to be widely accessible for viewers on the National Mall and surrounding monuments.

The announcement left multiple operational details unspecified in the remarks: federal permitting steps, final route maps and exact crowd-management plans were not described on the record. Officials called attention to the coordination required among federal and local agencies; the transcript records thanks to District leadership but does not supply an explicit timeline for final approvals.