Indycar invades the nation’s capital, nobody knows why

IndyCar has successfully completed its first race through the streets of Washington, D.C., proving once and for all that if you give Americans a 250th birthday, several hundred thousand spectators and a city full of historically significant buildings, someone will eventually suggest driving racing cars past them at 200mph.

The inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix was won by Kyle Kirkwood, who spent Sunday doing what every sensible person does when presented with the opportunity to drive an IndyCar around the nation’s capital: absolutely ignoring the scenery and concentrating on not hitting a manhole cover.

The race began with President Donald Trump waving the green flag, while military aircraft, patriotic music and a bald eagle provided the sort of subtle atmosphere usually associated with an opening ceremony at a Formula 1 race designed by someone who has just discovered Photoshop.

The circuit itself presented drivers with the usual street-racing hazards, including bumps, brick crossings and welded-down manhole covers. Presumably, this was considered preferable to simply finding somewhere flat.

Championship leader Alex Palou endured a particularly unfortunate weekend, suffering his second-worst finish of the season and watching his advantage shrink. The Spaniard now faces the terrifying prospect of having to explain to people that he lost points because he couldn't drive an extremely complicated racing car quickly enough around Pennsylvania Avenue.

Kirkwood, meanwhile, reduced Palou's championship lead from 133 points to 91 with three races remaining, meaning the title fight has suddenly become considerably more interesting.

The race also proved unexpectedly popular, attracting approximately 3.28 million television viewers, making it one of IndyCar's biggest audiences outside the Indianapolis 500.

Naturally, this has already prompted suggestions that Washington should host the event annually.

Because apparently once you've successfully driven 27 IndyCars past the Capitol without destroying democracy, the obvious next step is doing it every year.