KIRKWOOD DOMINATES FOR HISTORIC, STAR-SPANGLED VICTORY IN D.C.

WASHINGTON (Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026) – Kyle Kirkwood made history Sunday by winning the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., the first-ever motor race around the National Mall and the iconic monuments and buildings of the nation’s capital city.

And after a disastrous day for NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Alex Palou, can Kirkwood make even more history by catching Palou in the final three races of the season for a championship?

SEE: Race Results

Florida native Kirkwood drove his No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda to a 3.0906-second victory over the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Christian Lundgaard, leading three Andretti Global drivers in the top four. That margin of victory was deceptive due to a late caution that bunched the field for a restart on the seven-turn, 1.7-mile temporary street circuit, as Kirkwood led by upward of 16 seconds at some points during the 250-mile race.

“You can’t even put it into words – this is incredible,” Kirkwood said. “I’m almost in tears here. This is a big moment for us, a big moment for America here with the 250.”
Said Lundgaard: “I feel that it’s fitting that an American won, right? We gave it our best shot.”

Kirkwood earned his second victory of the season in crushing fashion, leading 128 of 147 laps after starting second. He also won the inaugural street race in March at Arlington, Texas, as six of his seven career victories have come on temporary circuits.

“It felt good to dominate out there; I’m not going to lie,” Kirkwood said. “That was a really good moment. What an incredible place to do it. If you can’t win the (Indianapolis) 500, this is definitely the place to win. I don’t know if we’re ever going to get a chance to do it again – I hope we do. This was awesome. What a dream come true.”

Andretti Global took the next two spots, with Will Power finishing third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda and Marcus Ericsson fourth in the No. 28 Acura Honda in this race that was the capping event of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday.

Kyffin Simpson rounded out the top five in the No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Kirkwood trailed Palou by 133 points entering this historic event, but the gap is down to 91 with three races remaining after Palou finished 20th in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

While Kirkwood was dreaming at the checkered flag, Palou endured a nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Palou, aiming for his record-tying fourth consecutive title and fifth overall, suffered through an uncommon string of mistakes ranging from hitting a rival’s tire during a pit stop and incurring a drive-through penalty, a slow pit stop due to a loose wheel and then a crash in Turn 4 on Lap 123 due to a broken toe link from earlier wall contact.

“It hurts, man,” Palou said. “I wanted to get that win. It kind of hurts a lot that we had this bad of a day. It’s OK; things happen.”

History still is very much on Palou’s side. Since the sport reunified in 2008, the largest gap any driver has overcome with four races left to win a title is 59 points by Dario Franchitti in 2010. Palou still could clinch his fifth Astor Challenge Cup in the doubleheader Aug. 29-30 at the Milwaukee Mile.

Kirkwood left no doubt about his intent and the strength of his car right from the waving of the green flag by President Donald J. Trump. He dueled with Palou through Turn 1 before taking the lead in Turn 2 on the opening lap of the second-longest temporary street race in INDYCAR SERIES history.

From there, Kirkwood only trailed during pit stop sequences. No alternate tire or fuel strategies from rivals could touch him on his day of days.

Kirkwood shed perhaps the only rival who could challenge him early in the race before a huge crowd – the two-day weekend attendance was 215,000 – when Palou hit the wheel laying in the pit box of the No. 47 Vanda Honda of Mick Schumacher on Lap 39 during his first pit stop. That violation resulted in a drive-through penalty that Palou served on Lap 43, dropping him to 20th place.

From that point, caution periods were the only thing that blunted Kirkwood’s charge toward history. He led by 16 seconds when he made his final pit stop at the end of Lap 112.
There were two restarts between Laps 128 and 134, bunching the field and offering hope to Kirkwood’s rivals.

Scott McLaughlin dove under Kirkwood in Turn 1 to take the lead for a split-second on Lap 129 after a restart, but he carried too much speed into the corner and was eliminated from the race when the right side of his No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet clipped a tire barrier.

Kirkwood left no doubt on the final restart of the race on Lap 134, rocketing away from the field. He cruised to the checkered flag waved by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and then celebrated in front of numerous government dignitaries in a suite above Turn 1, including President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

Up next is a doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile, the last oval event of the season. The Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 is set for Saturday, Aug. 29 on the historic, 1-mile track, with the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Sunday, Aug. 30.

The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season concludes with the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday, Sept. 6 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.