A high-profile IndyCar race planned for downtown Washington, D.C., has secured sponsorship from major corporations including Boeing, SpaceX’s Starlink, and Delta Air Lines, organizers said on Thursday.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a 250-mile race scheduled for Sunday, will traverse key landmarks along Pennsylvania Avenue, the National Archives, and surrounding cultural institutions. The event, which caps a series of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, is expected to draw up to 140,000 spectators daily, according to Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser.
President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order in January to establish the race, will wave the green flag at the start, take a lap in the presidential limousine, and watch the event from a corporate suite alongside invited executives. The race will feature speeds up to 170 miles per hour, with drivers navigating the urban circuit.
New sponsors joining the event include Boeing, Starlink—SpaceX’s satellite internet division—and Delta Air Lines, whose CEO Ed Bastian is expected to attend. Other major companies backing the race include General Motors, Honda, United Airlines, Amazon’s AWS unit, Shell, Gulfstream, Altria, Verizon, and Washington Gas.
The race is organized by Penske Corp, with Bud Denker, chair of the event and president of Penske, highlighting its potential to expand the sport’s corporate engagement. "This is also an opportunity for us to grow our sport and, by showcasing it to these companies that were never part of our sport," Denker said.
Downtown Washington will close to traffic for the event, with corporate suites along the course providing networking opportunities for executives, administration officials, and members of Congress.
