Trump casts long shadow over IndyCar race in DC — but fans hope to look past the politics

WASHINGTON (CN) — Before you can see them, you can hear them — and smell them. Dozens of open-wheeled race cars, dotted with sponsor stickers and many with stars-and-stripes paint jobs, racing down Washington, D.C.’s fabled Pennsylvania Avenue by the foot of the U.S. Capitol building at breakneck speeds.It’s a scene that would have been barely imaginable before this summer: an IndyCar series race in the nation’s capital; a circuit weaving around Smithsonian museums and along the National Mall; throngs of eager fans; and the scent of high-octane racing fuel wafting up around stoic government buildings.The one-off event, known as the “Freedom 250 Grand Prix,” has been billed by IndyCar as a bombastic celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary, meant to bring Americans together under the banner of motorsports. And, in many ways, the event appeared to live up to those expectations. Spectators who traveled to Washington for the race, and drivers who competed in it, told Courthouse News over the weekend that they were most of all excited about the novelty of racing in the nation’s capital for the country’s birthday.But while the experience on the ground in Washington felt decidedly nonpartisan, the specter of politics nonetheless loomed over the 1.7-mile racing circuit built right in the heart of American democracy.President Donald Trump and his administration were intimately involved in planning and executing the Freedom 250 Grand Prix — so named because of its partnership with the Trump-affiliated group that has organized several major events around the country’s anniversary. But beyond its role in putting the D.C. IndyCar race together, the White House has shown little compunction with leveraging the D.C. IndyCar race to promote the president’s policy agenda and swipe at his political opponents.“The Left has NO ANSWER to this,” Trump-tied advocacy group America First Works wrote Saturday in a post on X which accompanied video of IndyCar vehicles parading through Washington.It’s not a new feature of the complicated relationship between Trump and the IndyCar championship. Administration officials ahead of this weekend’s race used its branding to promote policies such as the Transportation Department’s effort to crack down on immigrant truck drivers. And the White House clashed with IndyCar last year after it used images of the series’ iconic race cars to promote mass deportations.Walking among the catch fencing and concrete barricades of the Washington street circuit, however, it was hard to feel those political winds blowing.“I’m not a big Trump guy, but they really have made this not about him,” said Sam Huser, who traveled from Indianapolis to D.C. for the race.Huser told Courthouse News during an interview in the IndyCar fan zone on the National Mall that he understood the relationship between Trump and IndyCar parent organization Penske Corporation — whose chairperson, Roger Penske, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019 — but that he didn’t feel those ties had translated into a “political” event in D.C.“If it had to be any president, it would probably be Trump to do this,” he said of the race weekend.Jay Huser, in Washington with his son, said he had more positive feelings about the president but compared his involvement in the race to other celebrities who appear at the Indy 500, the series’ flagship event.“He’s waving the [green] flag,” the elder Huser told Courthouse News. “So what? They always have celebrities at the 500. It was Brendan Fraser this year. Austin Butler the year before that.”Hernan Otano, another racegoer from Long Island who identified himself as a Democrat, said he was equally uninterested in the political discourse around the D.C. race. “It didn’t affect me,” he remarked. “I came here for the motorsports.”Otano was at the race with Michele Prothers, another Long Island resident who wore a Trump campaign cap. “We got dressed this morning at his mother’s house, and I go, ‘you okay with this?’” Prothers said, gesturing to her Trump gear.“And I laughed,” Otano added.Prothers told Courthouse News she’d come to the race specifically because Trump had been involved. “The fact that it’s race cars and I like it, great, but I would have come for anything,” she said. “It’s great to celebrate our 250th anniversary.”Otano reflected that his experience at this weekend’s race was more about the “company” than anything else. “She’s a Republican, I’m a Democrat. We’re getting along.”Attendees gave the race experience overwhelmingly positive reviews. Despite issues with viewing the race from the tree-laden National Mall and long lines for water and merchandise, racegoers praised the atmosphere and how accessible the IndyCar drivers and teams felt.The Husers said they’d seen several drivers and even some more obscure racing legends, such as Lyn St. James, one of just nine women in history to qualify for the Indy 500 who stopped for photos along the fan zone in D.C. this weekend.And Courthouse News’ interview with Otano and Prothers was briefly interrupted by the appearance of McLaren racing team boss Zak Brown, who trundled through the fan zone on a golf cart on his way to the trackside paddock.“Rock it, Zak!” Otano cried out. Brown smiled and gave a thumbs up.But while racegoers recounted a positive experience free from the tangle of politics, the Trump administration and its allies throughout the weekend seized the opportunity to pull the event and IndyCar itself closer to their agenda.Speaking to Fox News — whose affiliate Fox Sports has exclusive broadcast rights for the IndyCar championship — Attorney General Todd Blanche jabbed Democrats as he hyped up the grand prix and the Trump administration’s yearlong federal law enforcement surge in the capital city.“We’re talking about over 16,000 arrests with dozens of children being returned who were missing, dozens of alleged murderers being arrested and a city that is transformed not only in safety but in beauty, and you can’t get a Democrat to say thank you,” said Blanche, sitting in the Fox booth trackside and in front of an IndyCar Firestone racing tire.Later on, House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a midterm elections pitch from the Fox booth along the D.C. IndyCar circuit.“The [Democratic Socialists of America] is now in charge of the Democratic party — the radical, insurgent left,” the top Republican lawmaker said, sitting in front of the same IndyCar tire as pre-race music thumped in the background. “It’s a dangerous thing; it’s a dark harbinger of things to come.”Around the circuit, many racegoers could be seen wearing Trump merchandise, and third-party vendors selling goods off track appeared aware of the president’s close affiliation with the IndyCar race.Spotted for sale by an independent salesman outside the circuit was a hat depicting a championship race car and the phrase “Speedway Slammer.” The cap referenced a proposed Indiana immigration detention facility that sparked an intellectual property debate between IndyCar and the Department of Homeland Security after the agency used AI-generated images of its vehicles to promote the project.The race’s organization has also drawn political scrutiny. Little is known about Freedom 250’s funding structure, which Trump established via executive order to put together U.S. anniversary events in place of the congressionally authorized “America 250” nonprofit. The grand prix’s broad corporate sponsorship has also drawn scrutiny — while advertising is normal for motorsports, the appearance of new sponsors such as Boeing and Starlink for the Washington race has worried government ethics experts.The IndyCar drivers, meanwhile, have steered clear of politics during their time in the capital.“As an athlete … we stay out of politics and not really comment much on that,” said Kyle Kirkwood, driver of the No. 27 Honda for Andretti Global. “I don’t understand the ins and outs of it. Quite honestly, our goal as racing drivers is just to make sure we put on a great show for the fans and that outweighs everything.”Swiss-born Romain Grosjean, former Formula One driver and pilot of Dale Coyne Racing’s No. 18 car, said he was “not aware” of any discussion about the politics of the D.C. race among his colleagues.“I’m not American, but I’ve been welcome in this country in a very amazing way,” he told Courthouse News. “It’s not my place to say.”Other IndyCar drivers expressed similar sentiments in the week leading up to the grand prix. Speaking to Courthouse News on Capitol Hill, Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver Graham Rahal said he’d experienced bipartisan support for the D.C. race in meetings with lawmakers.“That was actually very refreshing, I must add, because when I came here that week I didn’t know if that would be the tone,” he said at the time.Bud Denker, president of IndyCar parent organization Penske Corporation, told Courthouse News last week that he saw the D.C. race as a unifying moment. He pointed out that in his efforts to bring the racing series to Washington, he’d gotten support from officials across the political spectrum.“Remember how we all felt when the USA women’s team and USA men’s team won the Olympics?” he said. “There was no partisanship in that. Everybody just felt proud to be an American. I want to feel that 15 times here.”Kirkwood took home the first-ever D.C. Grand Prix trophy Sunday afternoon after a marathon race that saw multiple crashes and IndyCar championship leader Alex Palou nearly knocked out of contention. Trump threw the green flag to start the race after lapping the circuit in the presidential motorcade.Denker, speaking to reporters after the race, said the president suggested the capital city host the racing series for as many as five more years.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads