Kyle Kirkwood of Florida just made history as the victor of the first-ever race in our nation’s capital!
Racers from all over the world gathered for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C.
Earlier in the race, Spanish racer Alex Palou took the lead.
But, in the end, it was an American racer who took the win!
Very fitting, don’t you think?
Watch Kirkwood cross the finish line here:
BREAKING: 27-year-old American Kyle Kirkwood, who races for Andretti — one of the most AMERICAN racing teams of ALL TIME — has WON the Freedom 250 Grand Prix
What an INCREDIBLE ending to an INCREDIBLE race
Originally, Spanish driver Alex Palou was favored to win, But…
pic.twitter.com/sc5I8dJFc0
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor)
August 23, 2026
After the win, a bald eagle flew out to pose with Kirkwood for a victory photo.
See the patriotic moment here for yourself:
EPIC! A BALD EAGLE was just brought out as Kyle Kirkwood poses for a victory photo in front of the US Capitol following the Grand Prix
It's just constant patriotism, a leftist's worst nightmare!
pic.twitter.com/3Xa3zGjpH2
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh)
August 23, 2026
This is 27-year-old Kyle Kirkwood’s second win of the season and sixth total career win.
Fox News reported further on the race:
Kirkwood, one of a few American drivers in the race, took the lead from Álex Palou early in the race and didn’t look back. He showed pace all weekend and was especially strong in the race, with only Palou able to keep up with him at times.
However, some late cautions erased much of Kirkwood’s work, and presented a golden opportunity to Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard.
Lundgaard — who is currently without a drive for next season — was strong early in the final green flag run thanks to his red alternate tires, an advantage over Kirkwood’s primary set, but it seemed like they started to fall off as the laps wound down.
Kirkwood was followed by Lundgaard in second, while Kirkwood’s Andretti Global teammate Will Power took the last step of the podium.
The win was crucial for Kirkwood’s championship hopes as it cut Palou’s championship lead down to 91 points.
The Spaniard had a rough day at the office. He was dealt a drive-thru penalty on his first pit stop of the race and his team had an issue with his front left tire on another stop.
Then, on lap 122, Palou made a third uncharacteristic error and crashed, bringing out a late caution.
In his first remarks following the huge win, Kyle Kirkwood gave a shout-out to
“fellow Florida guy” President Trump, who was there along with Melania watching the whole time.
Listen to this:
NOW: Freedom250 Grand Prix victor Kyle Kirkwood gives a SHOUTOUT to President Trump for putting the event on, saying they should do it again next year
Q: What's it like, POTUS and First Lady are WATCHING YOU win
KIRKWOOD: "I'm a fellow Florida guy, so it's cool to see him…
pic.twitter.com/eBthM4JDY5
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh)
August 23, 2026
Kirkwood also spoke to
Fox News about how proud he is to be an American and what an incredible experience it was to see President Trump cheering him on.
Watch here:
"I won the race, I get out of the car, I see President Trump sitting there cheering me on."
Freedom 250 Grand Prix winner Kyle Kirkwood reacts to seeing President Trump cheering him on after taking the checkered flag in Washington, D.C.
"As a proud American, that's a pretty big…
pic.twitter.com/1z5lk2OTuK
— Fox News (@FoxNews)
August 23, 2026
It remains to be seen whether Kyle Kirkwood will have a shot at getting another win on the D.C. racetrack.
While the Freedom 250 Grand Prix was originally intended to be a one-time thing, President Trump is reportedly pushing for another one!
Sports Business Journal shared some comments from Race Chairman Bud Denker on the possibility of a return:
Race Chairman Bud Denker and Bowser later confirmed that she and the Trump administration had shown interest in the event returning for at least a second year in 2027. But with IndyCar shelling out a huge sum of $35M for the race, the series may lean toward keeping the Freedom 250 as a one-off, just as UFC said it will do after its White House card in June.
Asked on Saturday by SBJ if the event will conclude after this year, Boles said: “Yeah, I think that was certainly the intent when we started it. And I think Mayor Bowser probably more than anybody has led the effort [to return]. Everywhere she goes, she is such a great supporter of it, and obviously the president is a supporter of this as well.”
He added: “I just think we have to get through this one — make sure it delivers. We hope it delivers, which is a really cool way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country, and a way to showcase the IndyCar brand. And then we can sit down and look at it. But I think at this point in time, if you were saying, ‘Hey, which way do you think it goes?’ I think this is probably a one-off.”
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[ H/T WLT Report ]
