Kyle Kirkwood with bald eagle – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by Chris Owens

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

At the insistence of Kyle Kirkwood, INDYCAR’s Astor Challenge Cup trophy has been re-packed and re-routed from Washington, D.C., to West Allis, Wis.

Kyle Kirkwood – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by Joe Skibinski

Kirkwood’s runaway victory in Sunday’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix _ first motorsports race conducted in the nation’s capital _ momentarily punched the pause button on Alex Palou’s inevitable march to a fifth NTT IndyCar Series championship.

The designated street-race ace of Andretti Global, Kirkwood emerged as commander-in-chief of the temporary 1.7-mile/seven-turn temporary circuit winding around the National Mall and several iconic District of Columbia monuments/buildings en route to a comfortable 3.0906-second margin of victory over Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard.

Kyle Kirkwood – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – By: Joe Skibinski

Pole-sitter Palou watched No. 2 qualifier Kirkwood bolt into the lead moments after President Donald J. Trump waved the green flag, and the die was cast. Palou, driver of the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, suffered through a shocking, mistake-marred race that placed him 20^th in the 25-car field _ three laps down to Kirkwood _ at the checkered flag.

“That was huge, right?” Kirkwood, a 27-year-old resident of Jupiter, Fla., said during his post-race presser. “You can’t even put it into words _ this is incredible.”

Kyle Kirkwood – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. – Photo by Joe Skibinski

Recall that Kirkwood and his No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda crashed-out of the inaugural street race in Markham, Ontario, Canada on Sunday, Aug. 16. “Yeah, it was a great feeling to rebound after last weekend, to get here, to see all the fans, 100,000 people on both days is absolutely incredible. The whole place there’s people, rows of five in the pace laps, all the way around the track, 1.6-miles. Super-cool to see.

“To be able to win in what will be considered probably my home race, right, being the Freedom 250 as an American, is something very special. I’ll cherish this moment for a very long time.”

Kirkwood trailed Palou by a massive 133 points entering the historic event. That gap has been slashed to 91 with three races remaining.

SEE: Race Results

Kirkwood led three Andretti Global drivers placing in the top-four. In fact Kirkwood’s margin of victory was deceptive due to a late caution that bunched the field for a restart. He led by upward of 16-seconds at some points during the 147-lap/250-miler.

Christian Lundgaard, Kyle Kirkwood and Will Power – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by Chris Owens

“I feel that it’s fitting that an American won, right?” said Lundgaard, a 25-year-old native of Denmark and driver of the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. “We gave it our best shot.” Lundgaard notched his sixth podium of the season and 12^th with Arrow McLaren via a total of 12 on-track passes, advancing seven positions from a ninth-place start.

“Long day, long weekend,” said Lundgaard, who will become a free-agent at season’s end. “I’m very thankful for the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren crew who’s done an amazing job all weekend, and really all year in general. I’m so happy we were able to execute here on the biggest stage in the United States and get the results and the hardware today.

Kyle Kirkwood – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by James Black

“Yeah, what an experience all weekend. The best background I’ve ever had on a racetrack, obviously. Just being a part of it, seeing where the series is going. Obviously, the race was long. I think we got a better result than we expected. We got three more races to go. I think I’m just happy to see Alex not win for once (smiling). I hear you all (media) laughing, so you agree with me, which is great.”

Kirkwood earned his second victory of the season in crushing fashion, leading 128 of 147 laps after starting P2. He also won the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington street race in March in Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Six of Kirkwood’s seven career victories have been scored on temporary circuits.

“It felt good to dominate out there; I’m not going to lie,” said Kirkwood, who delivered Andretti Global’s 80^th all-time INDYCAR win. “That was a really good moment. What an incredible place to do it. If you can’t win the (Indianapolis) 500, this is definitely the place to win. I don’t know if we’re ever going to get a chance to do it again _ I hope we do. What a dream come true.”

Will Power – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by Joe Skibinski

Andretti Global took the next two spots after Lundgaard, with Australian Will Power finishing third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda and Marcus Ericsson of Sweden fourth in the No. 28 Acura Honda in a race that capped the summer-long celebration of America’s 250th birthday.

Ron Ruzewski, team principal of Andretti Global, earned bragging rights after sweeping the three brand-new street courses on this year’s schedule. Kirkwood prevailed on the aforementioned Streets of Arlington and Ericsson won last weekend’s inaugural event in Markham, Ontario, Canada _a replacement for the former race in Toronto.

Will Power – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by Joe Skibinski

“It’s awesome. The momentum we’ve been carrying,” Ruzewski said. “Kyle, he did an awesome job today. He didn’t put a wheel wrong all day. To just echo his work ethic, I read a quote earlier that said that the ones who make it look easy put in the most work on their own. That’s exactly what he did this week.

“I think as a whole, our team has been really clicking. Today one, three, four. Last week we had double podium. I think we’re really starting to see, just like we said last week, the momentum. The team is really gelling. The three drivers working together really pushing each other. It’s something I’m used to. It’s something I’m really happy to see that we’re going forward with.”

Ruzewski joined Andretti Global after a 20-plus-year tenure with Team Penske.

Will Power – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. – Photo by James Black

“Yeah, a lot of on-track passes, to be honest, to move up,” said Power, 45, who is in his first season with Andretti Global after earning two series championships with Team Penske. “Good strategy. Good stops. It’s just becoming normal for us to do this. We’re starting to eliminate all the weaknesses and be strong everywhere and have a chance to win everywhere.

“Team has made huge progression over this season, and you can see it now. It’s all coming online. I think the expectation now every weekend is to be on the podium, challenge for a win.”

Asked if the series would be wise to return to the D.C. next season, Power said, “Definitely want to come back here. Amazing backdrop. You see the pageantry. Had a very Indy 500 vibe.”

Christian Lundgaard – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. -photo by Joe Skibinski

Similarly, Lundgaard said he had no complaints about either the venue or the event. “It’s actually funny, we were in the back of the truck and we were talking about it,” Lundgaard said. “I feel like this is a good contender to the Indy 500. I think overall this is just a testament to where the series is going. I think Milwaukee, to some extent, is going to feel a little boring next week. Just so different. Obviously it’s a different type of track, it’s a different event. Nothing’s like D.C.”

Lundgaard was referring to next weekend’s double-header at The Milwaukee Mile, the last oval event of the season. The Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 is set for Saturday, Aug. 29, on the historic, 1-mile track, with the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Sunday, Aug. 30.

Kyffin Simpson – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. – Photo by James Black

Kyffin Simpson completed the top-five in the No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “Taylor Kiel called a great strategy and got us some clean air and yellows played-out in our favor as well and it just worked out,” said Simpson, a 21-year-old native of the Cayman Islands. “Just so thankful to Sunoco and Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing for such an incredible car and what a weekend.”

Nolan Siegel _ another lame duck driver at Arrow McLaren _ recorded the best finish of his INDYCAR career in sixth, making up 12 positions in the No. 6 NTT Data Chevrolet.

“Long and hot day,” said Siegel, a 21-year-old native of Palo Alto, Calif. “P6, our best finish of the season, so I’m very, very proud of everyone on the No. 6 car. It was a pleasure to drive all weekend and what a place to do it. It was such a cool event. It absolutely set the standard for INDYCAR. I’ve just been having a blast all weekend. It feels really good to put a good result on the board and to do it here in the nation’s capital is so special. It’s an honor to be here and an honor to drive this car, and I’m looking forward to finishing the season strong.”

Josef Newgarden – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. – Photo by Joe Skibinski

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden placed eighth in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet and lauded the event organizers for staging a grand show. Indeed, the Freedom 250 came with a steep $35-million price tag for Penske Entertainment and partner FOX Sports, including approximately $3-million on upgrading and paving downtown D.C. streets to transform them into a smooth and safe street-course.

“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to everybody,” said Newgarden, a 35-year-old native of Nashville, Tenn. “FOX has given us such great coverage. Penske Entertainment really did a phenomenal job getting this off the ground. This is not easy to do and it’s the coolest backdrop, I think we’ve had in sports. Really. It really felt like the Indianapolis 500 here today, which is so unique. We don’t have that anywhere else in in the United States.

“I know we all really enjoyed it and maybe we’ll come back. I would love to have another shot. Today in the Astemo Chevy, you know, I’ve not been in the best shape this year. But, if we come back, that would be amazing. But if not, we’ll treasure this. This moment that we had was really cool.”

Caio Collet – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. – Photo by James Black

Series rookie Caio Collet paced the two-car effort from Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing in ninth with the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet.

“Yeah, a really positive day. I think the weekend overall was really positive,” said Collet, a 24-year-old native of Brazil. “The team they did a really, really good job giving me a competitive car all weekend long. And today we had the first clean race of the year from start-to-finish. I kept myself out of trouble. I attacked when I need needed to, and also just defended and let some people go when I had to.

“The team did a really good job on the pit strategy as well. We were inside the top-10, fighting for a top-10 finish, and in the end we came away home with P9. So extremely happy with the result. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going through the last three races of the year.  A big thanks to A.J. Foyt Racing, and Combitrans Chevrolet for all the help.”

Pato O’Ward – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. – Photo by Joe Skibinski

Pato O’Ward started seventh only to place 16^th in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. “A struggle in the race today,” said O’Ward, a 27-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “Just a really tough time trying to keep up with the race-pace. We had to make additional stops because we had an issue fueling the car for some reason. We’re going to work to figure out what happened, and then go to Milwaukee and try to have a strong weekend there.”

Santino Ferrucci, Collet’s teammate at Foyt Racing, placed a disappointing 21^st in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. “Yeah, just the bad luck continues to rain down on us,” said Ferrucci, a 28-year-old resident of Dallas. “We had an electronical gearbox issue. Unfortunately, I think it hurt something in the gearbox, and you know you have to run the rest of the race out to try and pick up positions when people wreck.

“It’s just a nightmare to not be in the way, and the car not wanting to downshift or upshift correctly. So yeah, so it’s just all-in-all horrible weekend. On to the oval.”

Alex Palou – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by Joe Skibinski

While Kirkwood was living the dream at the checkered flag, Palou endured his own “Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue.” Aiming for a record-tying fourth consecutive title and fifth overall, Palou suffered through an uncommon string of mistakes including hitting a rival’s tire during a pit stop and incurring a drive-through penalty; a slow pit stop due to a loose left front wheel and finally a crash in Turn 4 on Lap 123 due to a broken toe link from earlier wall-contact.

“It hurts, man,” said Palou, a 29-year-old native of Barcelona, Spain. “It was one of those races where I wanted to win, so it hurts that I didn’t. I did a couple mistakes, we had a bad stop. Like we had everything happening to us today. I prefer this than then having spread out in like different races. I prefer to concentrate on one.

Alex Palou – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. – Photo by James Black

“But yeah, it was a shame. The first pit stop when I kind of smacked a tire, obviously, was not on purpose, and that just put us on the back foot. Then at some point I smacked the wall a little bit. The toe link was bent for like 20 laps, and then suddenly it just broke. So that’s why we spun and crashed and everything. So yeah, one of those days. But it is what it is.”

Series history remains on Palou’s side. Since the sport reunified in 2008, the largest gap any driver has overcome with four races to go to win a title is 59 points by Dario Franchitti of Scotland in 2010. Palou still could clinch his fifth Astor Challenge Cup in the double-header Aug. 29-30 at The Milwaukee Mile.

Kyle Kirkwood – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by Chris Owens

Kirkwood left no doubt about his intent and the strength of his car from the waving of the green flag. He dueled with Palou through Turn 1 before taking the lead in Turn 2 on the opening lap of the second-longest temporary street race in INDYCAR history. From there, Kirkwood only trailed during pit stop sequences. No alternate tire or fuel strategies from rivals could touch him.

Kirkwood shed perhaps the only rival who could challenge him early in the race before a huge crowd _ the two-day weekend attendance was announced as 215,000 _ when Palou hit the wheel laying in the pit box of series rookie Mick Schumacher’s No. 47 Vanda Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing on Lap 39 during his first pit stop. That violation resulted in the drive-through penalty Palou served on Lap 43, dropping him to 20th place.

Kyle Kirkwood – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by Joe Skibinski

From that point, caution periods were the only factors blunting Kirkwood’s charge. He led by 16-seconds when he made his final pit stop at the end of Lap 112.

There were two restarts between Laps 128 and 134, bunching the field and offering hope to Kirkwood’s rivals. Scott McLaughlin dove under Kirkwood in Turn 1 to take the lead for a split-second on Lap 129 after a restart, but the native New Zealander carried too much speed into the corner and was eliminated when the right side of his No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet hammered a tire barrier.

Kyle Kirkwood’s team and US Sec. of Transportation Sean Duffy – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by James Black

“I felt my tires were pretty solid on the warm-up lap,” said Scotty Mac, 33, who became a naturalized American citizen in April. “And I was like, ‘I’m going to have a crack here,’ and misjudged how loose it was down the inside there. It was one of those chances. Kyle has been quick all weekend, and I just want to get some track position. Basically, just lost it. Locked the rears and away she went. Sucks for my PPG Chevy team, I thought we did a really good job all day. I feel for them. I went for it, and sometimes that’s what happens.”

Roger Penske, President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by Joe Skibinski

Kirkwood left no doubt on the final restart on Lap 134, rocketing away from the field. He cruised to the checkered flag waved by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and then celebrated in front of numerous government dignitaries in a suite above Turn 1, including President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and series co-owner Roger S. Penske.

Fittingly, Kirkwood joined the choir singing the praises of the racing product. “I mean, there’s two ways to look at it, right?” Kirkwood said. “I’m going to be super-biased, two opinions: Either no, I never want to come back here because I’ll be the only winner of this thing, or biased in that direction, too, yes, let’s come back here because I want to win it again. Just depends how you look at it.

Kyle Kirkwood’s team – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – Photo by James Black

“I mean, I think we were extremely fast, so I hope quite honestly I think for our sport, INDYCAR, I hope that part of the race wasn’t boring with me leading a lot of it, if I’m being completely honest.

“But the racing product, when I was around other cars, you could actually race cars pretty well. I didn’t see the broadcast, I don’t know exactly what it looked like, I don’t know if it was great or not throughout the midfield and the rest of the pack. From the front, we just had a dominant car. It probably didn’t look that shiny for the lead.”

Kyle Kirkwood – Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. – (Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo)

Kirkwood added he was aware of the magnitude of the event from the moment he awoke Sunday morning. “Quite honestly, you know there’s an instinct that you have when you wake up and your heart is already racing,” Kirkwood said. “I only get that one other place, and that’s the Indy 500. Just that sensation, it gives it its own energy. That’s what this place had.

“This was a very special day. We were very prepared for it. Outside of the Indy 500, I don’t think there’s another race that you’d want to win.”

Just in time for the start of the NFL schedule, the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season will conclude with the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday, Sept. 6, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 553; 2, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 462; 3, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 443; 4, David Malukas, Team Penske, 411; 5, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 399; 6, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 376; 7, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 361; 8, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 355; 9, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 354; 10, Will Power, Andretti Global, 328;

11, Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 302; 12, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 290; 13, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 282; 14, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 276; 15, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 257; 16, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 236; 17, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 234; 18, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, 229; 19, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 223; 20, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 212;

21, Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing, 204; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 180; 23, Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing, 180; 24, Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 170; 25, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 155; 26, Derek Daly, Dryer & Reinbold Racing, 24; 27, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 20; 28, Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 8; 29, Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports, 6; 30, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian, 5;

31, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 5; 32, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Arrow McLaren, 5; 33, Katherine Legge, HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing, 5.

FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST SCHEDULE/(RACE WINNER)

Note _ All times Eastern

Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, March 7 _ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Ariz., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)

Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, April 19 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, (Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren)

Sunday, May 24 _ 110^th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, (Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian)

Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit, (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)

Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., 2 p.m., (Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren)

Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, (Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren)

Monday, July 20 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, (Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global)

Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Saturday, Aug. 29 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., 1 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., 2:30 p.m.

Note _ Dates and times subject to change.

2026 INDYCAR NXT BY FIRESTONE SCHEDULE/(RACE-WINNER)

Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)

Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Max Taylor, Andretti Global)

Saturday, March 28 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)

Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing)

Friday, May 8 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 1, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)

Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 2, (Tymek Kucharczyk, HMD Motorsports)

Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)

Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., (Myles Rowe, Abel Motorsports)

Saturday, June 20 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 1, (Lochie Hughes, Andretti Global)

Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 2, (Matteo Nannini, Cape Motorsports powered by ECR)   

Saturday, July 4 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 1, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)

Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 2, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)

Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., (Matteo Nannini, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)

Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, (Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing)

Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis.

Saturday, Sept. 5 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 1

Sunday, Sept. 6 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 2