Washington DC has hosted presidential inaugurations, World Series parades and Fourth of July celebrations. Now, IndyCar is coming to the streets of the nation’s capital.
The inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix will bring open-wheel racing to a temporary 1.66-mile street race winding through downtown D.C. The seven-turn course will guide drivers past some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, including the U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument and several Smithsonian museums.
The race weekend, scheduled for Aug. 22-23, will feature practice, qualifying and the main race, giving fans a chance to see IndyCar drivers navigate a course unlike any other on the series calendar.
The race has already made its presence felt across downtown DC, with road closures and construction weeks underway as crews transform city streets into a temporary racing circuit. Barriers, fencing and other track infrastructure have been installed along the route ahead of race weekend.
For drivers, the circuit will offer little room for error, with tight turns and narrow sections replacing the traffic that normally moves through these streets. For residents and visitors, the race has meant detours and closures across parts of downtown as the District prepares to host its first IndyCar event.
So what will a lap of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix actually look like? Here's a turn-by-turn look at the course through downtown DC.
The course begins on 3rd Street near the U.S. Capitol before drivers turn onto Pennsylvania Avenue, where they’ll race along a 0.4-mile straightaway with views of some of the city's most recognizable landmarks. From there, the track winds through downtown, with drivers navigating turns on 9th Street, Constitution Avenue, 7th Street and Independence Avenue before making the final turn back toward the Capitol and the start-finish line.
Sunday's race begins at 1:10 p.m.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tour the Freedom 250 Grand Prix track through downtown Washington DC