{"id":7251,"date":"2026-07-26T09:04:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T09:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7251"},"modified":"2026-07-26T09:04:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T09:04:42","slug":"cnn-exclusive-how-indycars-most-ambitious-street-race-became-a-test-of-politics-security-and-spectacle-in-trumps-dc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7251","title":{"rendered":"CNN Exclusive: How IndyCar\u2019s most ambitious street race became a test of politics, security and spectacle in Trump\u2019s DC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n As Bud Denker dreamed last summer of holding an IndyCar race in downtown Washington, DC, he walked the city\u2019s streets in the stifling heat and tried to design the course in his mind. Denker, the president of Penske Corp., a transportation company that also owns motorsports teams, had put on IndyCar races in other cities. But the nation\u2019s capital presented a unique challenge.\n <\/p>

Read more Vance, Caine raised concerns about escalating war in Iran, sources say as US pauses consecutive nights of strikes<\/a><\/p>\n

\n The idea was laughable at first \u2013 an offhand suggestion made over a work dinner for how to celebrate America\u2019s 250th anniversary. Still, Denker was intrigued and traveled to DC in secret, not even telling his boss, Roger Penske.\n <\/p>\n

\n The track Denker initially designed wrapped around the city\u2019s iconic sites, including the US Capitol and the Washington Monument. But it wasn\u2019t just the course that Denker had to consider \u2013 it was everything else that comes with putting on a race of that scale.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe hardest problem in designing an urban race is, where do you put a pit lane?\u201d Denker told CNN, referring to the roughly quarter-mile long strip with team garages where racecars pull over for quick repairs and to refuel. \u201cAnd where do you put my 100 trucks that have to come to support the race?\u201d Denker added.\n <\/p>\n

\n Denker thought he had the perfect spot beside the US Capitol, a large space with wide streets winding around historic sites. He liked that part of the track would be uphill, an added challenge for the drivers.\n <\/p>\n

\n Then he ran into a classic DC problem: a bureaucratic power struggle.\n <\/p>\n

\n Since Denker\u2019s proposed route included the Capitol grounds, it needed bipartisan congressional approval, a practical non-starter in today\u2019s highly partisan climate. Getting the votes proved so challenging that Denker nearly gave up on the idea of an IndyCar race in Washington entirely.\n <\/p>\n

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\n But a year later, his dream is expected to become a reality. To avoid Congress, Denker ultimately designed a new course, moving the route one-block west of the Capitol and away from congressional jurisdiction. President Donald Trump green-lit the event with an executive order in January.\n <\/p>\n

\n This August, the nation\u2019s capital is set to host its first-ever IndyCar race, the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, adding to a summer calendar that\u2019s included a mixed martial arts cage fight on the White House lawn, a fair on the National Mall, and what was billed as the biggest fireworks display in history.\n <\/p>\n

\n Transforming downtown DC into a professional-grade, 1.66-mile racetrack has arguably been the most ambitious and tricky of all the events.\n <\/p>\n

\n With a more-than $35 million price tag, all of it paid for by IndyCar, the 125-lap race will be among the most expensive on the IndyCar calendar, and with free general admission tickets.\n <\/p>\n

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\nBud Denker, president of Penske Corporation, speaks announces the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington course, on March 9.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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\n With challenges, such as navigating other federal and city entities that entangle DC, Denker had to solve for security issues so Trump and his Cabinet members could potentially attend. He also had to negotiate to get buy-in from city officials and DC residents for an event that is expected to cause significant road closures for up to two months in one of the nation\u2019s most congested downtowns.\n <\/p>\n

\n Extensive construction is needed to allow open-wheel IndyCars to race safely at speeds of up to 180 mph. Walls (to protect both racers and spectators) and viewing areas along the track need to built \u2013 and then taken down after race day.\n <\/p>\n

\n And there\u2019s the politics of it all \u2013 a particular point of tension for sports leagues that typically attempt to be apolitical. Trump\u2019s involvement risks rankling some of IndyCar\u2019s fans and even drivers. McLaren Racing\u2019s Pato O\u2019Ward, IndyCar\u2019s only full-time racer from Mexico, has said it would be \u201cironic\u201d if he won given the president\u2019s politics.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI want the entire city, I want all of Congress to be part of this event,\u201d Denker told CNN. \u201cI don\u2019t have exclusive areas for anybody that\u2019s red or blue.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

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Racing past the Smithsonian: DC prepares for its first high-speed IndyCar race\n <\/div>\n
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\n Denker has spent so much time in Washington over the past year \u2013 often three days a week \u2013 he rented an apartment and has office space in the city. His full-time job isn\u2019t putting on a race \u2013 it\u2019s running Penske Corp., as well as managing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar series. But Denker feels he has \u201can obligation to help grow the Indycar Series\u201d with something as audacious as a race in the middle of the nation\u2019s capital.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019m not a licensed lobbyist, but I\u2019ve sure felt like it over the last eight months,\u201d Denker said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u2018What about a race in DC?\u2019\n<\/h2>\n

\n One night last summer, Denker was having dinner with Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks. \u201cWe said, \u2018What can we do to celebrate our country\u2019s 250th anniversary?\u2019\u201d Denker said. Then Denker asked Shanks, \u2018What about a race in DC?\u2019\n <\/p>\n

\n The men laughed it off. But the next week, Denker made his clandestine trip to DC to scout a potential track.\n <\/p>\n

\n He also got to know Trump\u2019s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, an early supporter of the event whose staff helped Denker navigate what were expected to be tricky congressional waters.\n <\/p>\n

\n Part of the pitch to legislators included details about IndyCars running on renewable fuels and the vehicles are relatively light so they weren\u2019t expected to cause damage to historical buildings, said Pete Meachum, Duffy\u2019s chief of staff. Denker said he had 81 meetings in roughly 90 days on Capitol Hill. But the odds were stacked against him. Getting the idea out of the Senate was going to require 60 votes, hard math in the closely-divided chamber.\n <\/p>\n

\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune eventually broke the news to Denker that he wouldn\u2019t have the necessary votes. Denker was ready to give up, and on January 21, he called Duffy to tell him so.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI said, \u2018We\u2019re done. This is not a political event. This is an event to celebrate our country,\u2019\u201d Denker recalled.\n <\/p>\n

\n Duffy told Denker not to abandon the project just yet, and a day later, he called back with a new suggestion: design a new race route entirely off the US Capitol grounds, cutting out Congress entirely.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI think we all know how hard it is to get Congress to agree on anything,\u201d Meachum said. \u201cPeople thought it was cool and amazing, but we were doing something on an accelerated clock. \u2026 It was easier to work with one mayor than two legislative chambers.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Denker\u2019s new route starts a few blocks in front of the Capitol, along 3rd Street, followed by turns onto Pennsylvania Avenue and then 9th Street \u2013 passing the National Gallery of Art and National Archives. The route had to include Pennsylvania Avenue \u2013 the street where the White House is located \u2013 because it was wide enough to serve as a pit lane. It\u2019s also where drivers will likely reach their top speeds of around 175 mph.\n <\/p>\n

\n The course then turns onto Constitution Avenue and cuts across 7th Street, dissecting the National Mall before turning onto Independence Avenue, past the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It then turns on Maryland Avenue and back onto 3rd Street, spanning less than 1.7 miles and seven turns.\n <\/p>\n

\n On January 30, less than 10 days after his call to Duffy, Denker was in the Oval Office as Trump signed an executive order \u201cCelebrating American Greatness with American Motor Racing.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

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\nGrand Prix crew members work while President Donald Trump, IndyCar series owner Roger Penske, Freedom 250 Grand Prix Chair Bud Denker, and IndyCar series drivers Alex Palou and Felix Rosenqvist look on during a Freedom 250 Grand Prix Showcase at the White House on July 13.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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\n Nearly six months later, Trump stood with IndyCar drivers Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist, this year\u2019s Indianapolis 500 winner, and David Malukas, at a White House event showcasing the Freedom 250 car and the team of people that willed the race into existence, including Denker.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cBecause it\u2019s a one-off race, you only really have one shot,\u201d Rosenqvist told CNN. \u201cI think it creates more of an urge to win it. That trophy is only going to be awarded to one driver and one team, so it would be really cool to be the one.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit of a different league compared to other events,\u201d he added.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u2018Like, oh my God loud\u2019\n<\/h2>\n

\n The Freedom 250 won\u2019t be the first time a race will be held in Washington to commemorate America\u2019s anniversary. In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson celebrated America\u2019s 25th birthday with a horse race around some of the same land where IndyCar will soon build its track.\n <\/p>

Read more Trump administration admits it canceled clean-energy grants in states that voted for Kamala Harris<\/a><\/p>\n

\n \u201cHere we are with more horsepower,\u201d Denker said with a grin.\n <\/p>\n

\n In 2002, the American Le Mans Series held a Grand Prix in DC, but it was on a temporary circuit built in the parking lots around RFK Memorial Stadium rather than city streets.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Freedom 250 will be an entirely different event, requiring miles of concrete barriers and fencing, a total of five pedestrian bridges built over the track, plus high-dollar suites and temporary grandstands.\n <\/p>\n

\n DC Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah told CNN the physical build-out of the track will begin at the end of July, about a month before the August 23 race. Returning the city back to normal will take until roughly the second week of September. While much of the work will be at night, the two-month construction process in the heart of Washington promises to irritate commuters and residents alike.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump\u2019s executive order allowed IndyCar to bypass many local bureaucratic hoops, such as public hearings where residents might have raised objections. The race also comes at the end of a long summer of events in downtown DC commemorating the country\u2019s 250th anniversary.\n <\/p>\n

\n Elyssa Feder, co-founder and Executive Director of Rising Organizers, a community organizing non-profit based in DC, said that the Freedom 250 celebrations have rung \u201ca little sour\u201d for residents who lack statehood and largely oppose Trump\u2019s surge in federal law enforcement in the city, along with a National Guard presence.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI think the thing that most DC residents are feeling, and certainly the ones that I speak with, is a sense of frustration that the administration continues to use the District of Columbia as its playground,\u201d Feder told CNN.\n <\/p>\n

\n On top of the weeks of construction, there will also be the noise associated with the race.\n <\/p>\n

\n Matt Winkler, professor of Sports Business at American University who was at the Le Mans race at RFK Stadium over 20 years ago, recalls the event as \u201creally cool\u201d for race fanatics but \u201creally loud\u201d for any residents who lived near the course.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cRaces are really, really, really loud, like, oh my god, loud,\u201d Winkler said.\n <\/p>\n

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\nCars race during the American Le Mans Series’ inaugural Washington Grand Prix, on July 21, 2002.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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\n Denker anticipated concerns about disruption and noise, meeting in May with residents who live or have office space near the course to pitch his plan and answer any questions. Despite concerns about the race transformation, Winkler finds that the \u201ccity-fied\u201d course will still bring the \u201csexiness\u201d of racing to Washington.\n <\/p>\n

\n Others, including George Washington University sports management professor Lisa Delpy Neirotti, say growing interest in auto racing \u2013 fueled by shows such as Netflix\u2019s Formula One series \u201cDrive to Survive\u201d \u2013 gives the city, IndyCar and Penske an opportunity to attract a global audience.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s easy to pull off because they have an executive order that they can basically do what they need to do to get this thing done. If they had to go through public hearings, if they had to go through a lot of other hoops, it would not be enough time, but I think they have a lot of internal support to get things done,\u201d Neirotti said .\n <\/p>\n

\n Pitching the mayor\u2019s office\n<\/h2>\n

\n Part of Denker\u2019s pitch to Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, was that the race could bring significant economic benefits to the city during an otherwise slow time of year, when Congress is in recess. He told her that Detroit\u2019s annual IndyCar race brings $100 million in windfall over a three-day period.\n <\/p>\n

\n Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, the city\u2019s tourism marketing arm, told CNN that their hotel partners are seeing an increase in reservations around major events like the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, however the economic impact won\u2019t be clear until after the event. Along with the 250th celebrations, the boost in DC tourism could also be attributed to citywide conventions and group travel this summer.\n <\/p>\n

\n Penske will be financing the race, but the city is tapping into a $90 million emergency planning and security fund, which provides federal dollars to DC to accommodate events of this nature, according to Appiah, who anticipates the full fund will be used through events this summer.\n <\/p>\n

\n Penske partnered with Monumental Sports, a sports and venue management company that owns and operates several teams in DC, including the Wizards NBA team and Capitals NHL team, to help sell sponsorships and suites for the Grand Prix.\n <\/p>\n

\n The suites, which will be built as part of the course construction, cost $200,000 to $250,000 apiece, and nearly all 78 have been sold, according to Monumental. General admission tickets are free, and Penske received nearly 300,000 requests for race weekend, ultimately granting 100,000 tickets .\n <\/p>\n

\n The race is considered nonprofit, so any revenue that exceeds IndyCar\u2019s costs will be distributed to Washington, D.C.-based charities.\n <\/p>\n

\n How to secure an entire racetrack?\n<\/h2>\n

\n One request that DC made to the federal government was designating the Grand Prix a National Special Security Event \u2013 a status reserved for the nation\u2019s highest-profile and highest-risk gatherings, such as presidential inaugurations and state funerals. The Army\u2019s 250th Birthday Parade in Washington last year received that designation, but DC\u2019s request for the race was denied by the administration.\n <\/p>\n

\n Appiah said the race ultimately received Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1 \u2013 the highest designation below a National Special Security Event. The balance is in making the event accessible, allowing a large number of attendees, with security measures, she said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Denker, who attended the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner in April, where a suspected gunman was apprehended just outside of the ballroom where Trump and other Cabinet members were present, said security considerations have been the most significant planning challenge. Some extra measures were added after the Correspondents\u2019 Dinner, he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe already had a pretty ironclad plan put in place,\u201d Denker said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to see a perimeter around our entire circumference of our racetrack, probably going three or four blocks back. \u2026 Every fan will have to go through magnetometers like they do the Super Bowl.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cFans should feel safe about coming here,\u201d Denker said.\n <\/p>\n

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\nPresident Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order bringing an IndyCar race to the District of Columbia, alongside Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Penske Corporation Chair Roger Penske, Penske Corporation President Bud Denker, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, in the Oval Office of the White House on January 30.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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\n One fan who might be in attendance is Trump. Denker said the president wanted to attend the Indy 500 in Indianapolis last year, but \u201cit\u2019s difficult when you have 355,000 people.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Still, Denker said he hopes Trump attends the race in Washington.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe said to him early on, \u2018We\u2019re bringing a race to you,\u2019\u201d Denker said. \u201cObviously the invitation is open to him, as it is to any member of Congress as well, too. It always has been that way.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Though Denker wanted to keep the race out of the political fray, he\u2019s already learned some painful lessons about how fraught anything surrounding Washington can be. A T-shirt promoting the Grand Prix with \u201cOne Nation, One Race\u201d printed on it quickly sparked outrage and the merchandise was subsequently removed from the IndyCar online store.\n <\/p>\n

\n Denker owned the mistake.\n <\/p>\n

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\nA T-shirt promoting the Freedom 250 Grand Prix with \u201cOne Nation, One Race\u201d printed on it was removed from the IndyCar online story after sparking outrage.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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\n \u201cThat was my fault,\u201d Denker said. \u201cAs we were designing and having people design T-shirts for us and come through and show us these T-shirts, you can imagine my thought of it was of a race here in DC, and the nation here, so I take the blame for that. \u2026 When people raised it was an issue, I said, \u2018My gosh, I can understand that,\u2019 and we pulled that immediately. So that was a blemish on me, and I admit the fault for that.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The administration\u2019s fingerprints on the event are hard to miss. The show car for the Grand Prix, recently on display near the US Capitol, has the emblems for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Interior on it, as well as the presidential seal on the front wing. Denker said that\u2019s because they were key supporters of the race.\n <\/p>\n

\n But as Trump has put his stamp on a number of 250th anniversary events, the celebration has drawn ire by some for taking on a more partisan than patriotic flavor. IndyCar has not been immune to the criticism even as the racing series hopes the Freedom 250 Grand Prix attracts more fans to the sport than it turns away.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI think the times we live in now, no matter what you do or what you don\u2019t do, not everyone\u2019s going to like it,\u201d said Ed Carpenter, an IndyCar driver who also owns the Ed Carpenter Racing team. \u201cI would say, just come out enjoy the sport, give it a chance. My guess is you\u2019ll have a good time.\u201d\n <\/p>

Read more Toilet humor over diarrhea-induced weight loss shows fat phobia is alive and well<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Bud Denker dreamed last summer of holding an IndyCar race in downtown Washington, DC, he walked the city\u2019s streets in the stifling heat and tried to design the course in his mind. Denker, the president of Penske Corp., a transportation company that also owns motorsports teams, had put on IndyCar races in other cities. 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Denker, the president of Penske Corp., a transportation company that also owns motorsports teams, had put on IndyCar races in other cities. 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