By David G. Firestone
So the Freedom 250, full name Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C is behind us, and I hope it is never in front of us to begin with. I knew this was going to be a bad race, but, even I couldn’t have predicted how bad it would be.
Let’s be honest, this was never about the racing. This was always about the ego of Trump. Of course Trump’s face and fingerprints were all over this race. True to form, Trump did not hold back. According to attendees, there were a total of seven, yes SEVEN military flyovers. Even the fucking SUPER BOWL only has one, this race had SEVEN! This resulted in Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport being shut down for over three hours.
Between that, the Beast on track, the VIP section filled with rich “fans,” and Trump waving the green flag, it was an event that could be described as a tacky race. Even the name, “Freedom 250” is a perfect representation of the tackiness that Trump creates. Grand Prix of Washington D.C would have worked just fine.
While the race was well attended, with an estimated 140,000 fans in attendance, they didn’t get a great race, or even a good race. The track and the racing were mediocre, and I’m being a little generous. The track layout was thrown together, and drivers had a harder time than normal.
Now, I was under the impression that this was a one and done, but there are some in IndyCar who feel that this might be coming back for 2027. Dear God, I hope not! I’m against politicians in racing, no matter what side of the aisle you are on. It alienates fans, and sponsors. But this utter disaster and tacky waste of money should never have happened, let alone happen again.
Sadly, this is Roger Penske’s IndyCar. When the $1,000,000 Thermal Challenge failed, it was rebranded and brought back. This was a PR nightmare for IndyCar so Trump could feed his massive ego at taxpayer expense yet again. There is a real fear that they could bring this back next year. Be afraid, be very afraid.
DGF2099-Main Page 