The Freedom 250 is expected to be a one-and-done unique event. It is the first INDYCAR race (as far as we know) that needed an executive order from the President (of the United States) just to happen. It is part of the 250th birthday celebration of the United States.
The National Mall won't get shut down for an INDYCAR race every year. And that’s fine. Part of the allure of the Freedom 250 stems from the basis that it will serve as a rare spectacle.
If you’re not there to see it, you won’t ever see it. But that doesn’t mean that is the end of INDYCAR in Washington, D.C. The outgoing mayor loves having sports in her town.
She apparently would love to find a way to have an INDYCAR race on the streets of Washington in the future. Where? Maybe near the new football stadium, much like Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington (Texas).
The new stadium in the D.C. area opens in 2030. As they continue building it, maybe they can keep thoughts of a course in mind (or at least the back of the head). INDYCAR so badly needs more races on the East Coast.
Will it go to Richmond Raceway as some have thought? The last time INDYCAR raced on the 0.75-mile oval was in 2009, and the races on the track didn’t produce incredible action. But the current car should race better there.
Still, it’s not INDYCAR country, per se, and many feel that it would need NASCAR (not necessarily Cup but at least one of the other national series) to race on the same weekend. NASCAR’s weekend there for next year is set in September, most likely too late for the INDYCAR calendar. INDYCAR at Watkins Glen would be cool.
But it wouldn’t necessarily draw the city audience that would make going to the Northeast worth it. And don’t get me wrong, I’d love an INDYCAR race at Watkins Glen. Baltimore?
Been there, done that and it left a sour taste (2011-13). Philadelphia? There’s been some chatter but nothing that seems to have picked up much steam.
So why not Washington? Not everything needs an executive order to happen. But maybe this race can spark ideas from those in the area that INDYCAR can find a spot in the Mid-Atlantic and relatively soon.
The Freedom 250 should be a cool event. It most likely will be a one-and-done. But it could ignite conversations to imagine future events.
