The Freedom 250 Grand Prix is set to be held on Sunday, and two Washington Capitals players got a first look at the street course.
Friday, Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson and defenseman Matt Roy climbed into specially built two-seat Indy cars and sat behind professional drivers, taking a high-speed lap around the Freedom 250 circuit.
The Capitals posted the players’ experience on social media.
Logan Thompson and Matt Roy take laps around DC street course
Roy seemed especially wary before jumping into his ride, twice asking how fast they were going to go. “I’m actually pretty nervous,” he said.
Roy’s nerves were not calmed when he was told the answer: “We’ll probably do 165 or so. Maybe 170.”
“This is crazy,” Roy responded. “This is insane.”
Thompson laughed in anticipation.
The 1.7-mile road course will see cars zip around the National Mall and down Pennsylvania Avenue. The seven-turn temporary street is highlighted by a 0.4-mile high-speed straight down Pennsylvania Avenue. Drivers will race past landmarks including the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, National Gallery of Art, and National Archives, with the United States Capitol and Washington Monument providing a picturesque backdrop.
Roy went first and his head wobbled in the back seat. He seemed to warm to and appreciate the experience by the end.
“This is insane. This is wild,” Roy said. “Oh, man. Incredible. That was sick.”
Meanwhile, Thompson really enjoyed himself.
“Woo hoo hoo hoo!” he yelled. “That was unbelievable. Nothing like that, holy crap. Adrenaline. That was really fun.”
Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who is 69, also took a lap around the course as well — though there was no video provided of his experience.
Earlier in the day, Leonsis was also on the track, helping ring the NYSE’s opening bell.
Leonsis’s Monumental Sports & Entertainment is serving as the Freedom 250’s official marketing, sponsorships, and corporate hospitality sales partner this weekend, using its sports teams and broader DC-area platform to help promote the race.
“All summer, our nation’s capital has been at the center of celebrating America’s 250th birthday,” Leonsis wrote on X. This weekend feels like a fitting culmination. The @Freedom250GP will bring INDYCAR racing to the National Mall for the first time, turning some of the most recognizable streets and landmarks in America into a stage for world-class racing.
“Honored to join the NYSE this morning and excited for this weekend’s extraordinary celebration of America’s 250th here in Washington!”
While the Freedom 250 Grand Prix appears to be a once-in-a-lifetime sporting event in DC, the race is also a deeply entangled with the Trump administration
President Trump formally launched the event on January 30, 2026, by signing Executive Order 14381, which established the Freedom 250 Grand Prix as part of the United States’ 250th-anniversary celebration. The order directed the Departments of Transportation and Interior to identify a race route around Washington’s monuments and National Mall and to expedite the federal permits and approvals necessary to stage it.
Trump has also personally promoted the race. As war continues in Iran, he hosted an IndyCar showcase at the White House on July 13, along with several drivers and team owner Roger Penske, who is credited with coming up with the idea.
“To think about just months ago that we came together with FOX and the president — obviously with his executive order — to be able to have an event in the nation’s capital is outstanding,” Penske told FOX’s Bob Pockrass. “It’s iconic.”
Reuters reported that Trump is expected to wave the green flag Sunday and take a ceremonial lap of the circuit in the presidential limousine, “The Beast.”
