Freedom 250 Grand Prix start time announced for IndyCar’s Washington, DC debut

The NTT IndyCar Series is gearing up to hit the streets of Washington, DC for the first time on Aug. 23, and now, we know when the green flag will wave.

There is absolutely no question about it: the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, DC is going to be a full-on spectacle as cars race past some of the most iconic monuments our nation has to offer.

As such, it’s getting the level of coverage it deserves.

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Practice sessions 1 and 2 will air Saturday, Aug. 22, on FS1 and FS2, respectively. Qualifying will take place that evening from 5 to 6:30 p.m. ET on FS2.

Then, Sunday morning, the IndyCar broadcast booth regulars — lap-by-lap commentator Will Buxton, along with former drivers-turned-broadcasters Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe — will call the warm-up from 9 to 10 a.m. ET on FS1.

IndyCar will celebrate America’s 250th birthday with the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

After that, expanded pre-race coverage will get underway on FOX at 11:30 a.m. ET, with the race getting started shortly after 1 p.m. ET.

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On top of the IndyCar action, the International Race of Champions, or IROC, will make its return as a support series for the weekend. They’ll race on Saturday, with IndyCar greats Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan taking part alongside NASCAR legends Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Rusty Wallace and Bill Elliott using the same Pontiac Firebirds the original IROC series used from 1996 to 2006.

IndyCar drivers (from left) David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist, and Alex Palou visited the White House this week. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)

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There’s a lot of excitement around this one-of-a-kind addition to the 2026 IndyCar calendar, and this week reigning series champ Alex Palou, Indy 500 champ Felix Rosenqvist and Team Penske’s David Malukas were all at the White House to meet with President Donald Trump and to knock out some pit stop practice.

IndyCar has another big weekend ahead, as the series heads to Nashville Superspeedway for the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, which will air on FOX immediately after the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final.