Spectators began pouring into the center of Washington, DC, on Saturday to catch the first day of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix , a two-day street racing event whose revving engines will echo amid the nearby US Capitol and the citys neoclassic national museums.
The portion of 3rd street that will serve as the start and finish line is painted red, white and cobalt blue, with a thick black-and-white checkered flag band overshadowing the more mundane stripes of a nearby crosswalk. Large metal fencing stands erected around the site to protect those whove flocked to the IndyCar event to watch the sleekly designed cars fly past at speeds up to 180 miles per hour.
With a host of preliminary races on the schedule, the festivities on Saturday are a buildup to the main race on Sunday, which, according to the White House, President Donald Trump plans to attend. The 1.66-mile track caps off a summer of celebrations commemorating the nations 250th birthday.
The president fast tracked the race with a January executive order, bypassing local bureaucratic hurdles and making the event that is expected to draw nearly 300,000 people over two days a reality less than a year after its pitch by Penske Corporation president, Bud Denker.
Fans began pouring into the sprawling racing area under a light drizzle about 8 a.m. as the racing teams were preparing for the first practice rounds. The weather did not dampen the spirits of hardcore racing fans who traveled from across the country for the Grand Prix in DC.
Tom Lantz brought his family, including his 12-year-old son, Levi Steele, from Altoona, Pennsylvania, for the event. Lantz has attended several previous races but this was Levis first.
Im just glad Im here, Levi said.
The racetrack starts along 3rd Street, along the National Mall across from the Washington Monument, and is followed by turns onto Pennsylvania Avenue, the street where the White House is located. From there, it goes along 9th Street passing the National Gallery of Art and National Archives. Pennsylvania Avenue was crucial to the track because its width lent itself to a pit lane where IndyCars will stop for tire changes, fuel and repairs.
The course then turns onto Constitution Avenue and cuts across 7th Street, bisecting the National Mall before turning onto Independence Avenue, past the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It then turns on Maryland Avenue and back onto 3rd Street, spanning less than 1.7 miles and seven turns.
Drivers on Sunday will race around the monuments for 147 laps, a symbolic number to celebrate the nations semi-quincentennial with a 250-mile race.
Many Washington, DC, residents will feel the races impact even if they dont attend it, as officials plan extensive traffic and parking restrictions throughout the city in conjunction with the event. The Federal Aviation Administration also announced it will pause flights out of Ronald Reagan National Airport from 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, though those times may change.
A few of the citys iconic Smithsonian Museums are in the races path, and visitors will need a Freedom 250 Grand Prix event ticket to access them. The National Gallery of Art, which is next to the races pit lane, said it conducted an extensive vibration study and applied a set of safety measures to protect guests and its art collections from being damaged by the race.
The Freedom 250 wont be the first time a race was held in Washington to commemorate Americas anniversary. In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson celebrated Americas 25th birthday with a horse race near the same land where IndyCars track is built, according to the White House Historical Association.
Hosting this race was a bit more complicated than it might have been back then.
For a nations capital that frequently engages in logistical gymnastics for events like the presidential inauguration, the Grand Prix presented unique challenges, including repairing streets, constructing large heavy fencing and securing permits to bring the race to downtown.
Ahead of Saturdays qualifying races, Denkers team smoothed nearly 50 manhole covers over with silicone to ensure the high-speeding cars dont blow the covers off their places with the suction they create.
Security will be a particular sticking point ahead of Sundays Grand Prix with the president and several members of his cabinet set to attend the race. Attendees will funnel through tall magnetometers, reminiscent of TSA-style screening before a flight.
DC city officials had asked the federal government to designate the event as a National Special Security Event C a status reserved for the nations highest-profile and highest-risk gatherings, such as the State of the Union and state funerals. The Trump administration denied the request, opting instead to follow a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1 C the highest designation below a National Special Security Event.
Another challenge for organizers was accommodating DC residents who live in the middle of the action. Denker, the Penske president, anticipated concerns about disruption and noise, meeting in May with residents who live or have office space near the course to pitch his plan and answer any questions.
Most of the races extensive construction took place in the overnight hours but drew the ire of residents outraged at the large-scale disruption in downtown DC.
The more-than-$35-million price tag, all paid for by IndyCar, bets on the race as a way to attract new fans and commemorate the nations birthday.
Whats primary for me, and it sounds corny, is to celebrate our countrys 250th anniversary in ways no one ever expected to see, Denker said.
周六，观众开始涌入华盛顿特区市中心，参加为期两天的"自由250大奖赛"街头赛车活动首日赛事。轰鸣的引擎声将在附近的美国国会大厦和这座城市的新古典主义国家博物馆群间回荡。
作为起终点的第三街路段被漆成红、白和钴蓝色，一道醒目的黑白方格旗纹带使附近人行横道的普通条纹相形见绌。场地周围竖立着高大的金属围栏，以保护那些蜂拥而至观看印地赛车比赛的观众——流线型设计的赛车将以每小时180英里的极速呼啸而过。
根据白宫消息，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普计划出席周日的正赛。而周六的预热赛事和庆祝活动，正是为这场重头戏做铺垫。这条1.66英里长的赛道，为纪念美国建国250周年的一系列夏季庆祝活动画上了句号。
总统通过1月的行政命令加速推进了这场赛事，绕过了地方官僚程序的阻碍。在潘世奇公司总裁巴德·丹克尔提出构想后不到一年，这场预计两天内吸引近30万人的活动便得以实现。
清晨8时许，尽管天飘细雨，车迷们已开始涌入广阔的赛车场地，此时各车队正为首轮练习赛做准备。这样的天气并未浇灭专程从全国各地赶来华盛顿参加大奖赛的铁杆车迷的热情。
汤姆·兰茨带着家人从宾夕法尼亚州阿尔图纳前来参加活动，其中包括他12岁的儿子利维·斯蒂尔。兰茨此前已多次参与此类赛事，但这是利维的首次体验。
“我很高兴能在这里。”利未说道。
赛道起始于第三街，沿国家广场延伸，与华盛顿纪念碑隔街相望，随后转向宾夕法尼亚大道——白宫所在的街道。此后路线继续沿第九街行进，途经国家艺术馆和国家档案馆。宾夕法尼亚大道因其宽阔的路面成为赛道关键路段，可设置为维修区通道，供印地赛车进行换胎、加油及维修作业。
随后路线转向宪法大道，横穿第七街，穿过国家广场中央后转入独立大道，经过史密森尼国家航空航天博物馆。接着转向马里兰大道，再折返至第三街，全程不足1.7英里，共经历七次转弯。
本周日，车手们将环绕纪念碑进行147圈比赛，这一象征性圈数旨在通过250英里赛程庆祝美国建国250周年。
即便不亲临现场，华盛顿特区许多居民也将感受到赛事的影响。为配合活动，当局计划在全市范围内实施大规模的交通管制和停车限制。美国联邦航空管理局还宣布，罗纳德·里根国家机场周日上午10:15至下午1:15将暂停航班起降，但具体时间可能有所调整。
该市几座标志性的史密森尼博物馆位于赛事路线沿线，游客需持有自由250大奖赛门票方可入内。毗邻比赛维修区的国家美术馆表示，已开展"全面振动研究"并实施一系列安全措施，以确保观众和馆藏艺术品不受赛事影响。
据白宫历史协会记载，自由250赛事并非华盛顿首次为纪念美国周年庆而举办的比赛。1801年，托马斯·杰斐逊总统就曾在如今印地赛车跑道所在的附近土地上，通过赛马活动庆祝美国独立25周年。
举办这场比赛的复杂程度，较之当年可能更甚。
对于一个经常为总统就职典礼等活动进行复杂后勤调度的国家首都而言，举办这场大奖赛带来了独特挑战：包括修缮街道、搭建大型重型围栏，以及为将赛事引入市中心而获取相关许可。
在周六排位赛开始前，登克尔的团队用硅胶填平了近50个井盖，以确保高速行驶的赛车不会因产生的吸力将井盖掀飞。
本周日的大奖赛期间，安全问题将成为焦点，总统及其数名内阁成员将亲临现场观赛。入场观众需通过高大的磁力仪进行安检，这一流程让人联想到航班起飞前运输安全管理局（TSA）式的严格筛查。
华盛顿特区官员曾请求联邦政府将该活动列为国家特别安全事件——这一级别专为国情咨文演讲、国葬等全国性高规格、高风险集会设立。但特朗普政府拒绝了这一请求，转而采用特别事件评估等级1级预案——即国家特别安全事件之下的最高级别安保措施。
赛事组织者面临的另一项挑战是如何妥善安置身处活动核心区域的华盛顿特区居民。潘世奇公司总裁登克尔预见到居民可能对活动造成的干扰和噪音产生担忧，遂于五月会见了居住在赛道附近或在此办公的居民，向他们详细阐述计划方案并解答各类疑问。
比赛的大部分大规模施工在夜间进行，但仍激怒了当地居民，他们对华盛顿市中心的大规模扰民行为感到愤怒。
这项耗资逾3500万美元的赛事全部由印地赛车赞助，旨在通过比赛吸引新粉丝并庆祝美国国庆日。
丹克尔表示："对我来说首要的——虽然这话听起来可能有些老套——就是以出乎所有人意料的方式来庆祝我们国家的250周年纪念。"
