Trump’s Grand Prix Race Was Fast And Furious But Was It Tone-Deaf?

Indycar takes to the streets around Washington, DC. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

First things first. I am a car enthusiast, a motor racing fan and an active race competitor, having competed in the Nurburgring 24-hours in Germany and countless other domestic races in Japan over the last 25 years. I’ve also been to watch numerous F1 races, the 24-Hours of Le Mans, the Indy 500, World Rally Championship events in the middle of nowhere, and even street F1 races from Monaco to Melbourne. So yes, I love cars and racing. But what President Trump did last weekend by staging his Freedom 250 IndyCar Grand Prix race in Washington DC was, well, let’s just call it excessive, disruptive, inappropriate and tone-deaf.

Over the weekend, the distinct, ear-splitting whine of 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engines echoed off the marble facades of federal buildings as IndyCar made its highly controversial debut on the streets of the nation’s capital.

The event, billed as the "Washington Grand Prix," saw open-wheel Indy race cars speeding at over 150 mph down Pennsylvania Avenue, transforming the historic corridor between the U.S. Capitol and the White House into a 1.7-mile long temporary, high-octane racetrack. The narrow, angular cars blasted past the US Capitol, made sharp turns around the National Archives, and pass the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for a total of 147 laps, a number which equals a race distance of 250-miles. Yes, you guessed it. That 250 number had to relate to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Penske Corporation CEO Roger Penske (R) and IndyCar series champion Alex Palou (L) presents U.S. President Donald Trump (C) with a race helmet during a Freedom 250 Grand Prix showcase in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

In fact, not since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the redesign of the city of Sochi in 2010 to accommodate a F1 race, and the Olympics of course, has a leader so brazenly pushed their agenda on a city, not to mention a capital city like DC.

To realize his Freedom 250 race, Trump shut down Ronald Reagan airport, cut a 1.7-mile-long race track through the heart of DC, closed road access to the nation’s capital to achieve that goal for over a month, put up a massive 3-story high banner of his face on the Department of Labor building, and cleverly managed funding from various sources to stage the event. The race itself reportedly cost around $35 million, mostly financed by Penske and corporate sponsors.

But it unfolded within a much larger, publicly supported Freedom 250 program that received up to $100 million in federal funding, while race-related police, fire and security costs were drawn from a separate $90 million special-events fund. The precise amount ultimately borne by taxpayers for the Grand Prix has not been disclosed.

Race winner Kyle Kirkwood races during the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, DC. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

For motorsport purists, the sight of Dallara chassis navigating a makeshift street circuit with the Washington Monument as a backdrop was a visual spectacle. For a deeply divided nation, stuck in a seemingly endless war with Iran and a new potentially crippling row with Canada however, the race served as a polarizing symbol of modern American priorities.

One example of the excesses of Trump’s race weekend were the seven—not one—military flyovers. For nearly all international major races around the world, including events like the Indy 500, which I have been to, there is only one flyover. But under the backdrop and excuse of the Freedom 250 celebration, Trump ordered seven flyovers, including one by his Qatari Palace plane which resulted in shutting down Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for three hours and disrupting the flight plans of thousands of travelers.

The race was sanctioned by an executive order in late January and aggressively promoted by President Trump, who treated the event as a personal triumph. From his heavily guarded viewing suite near the start-finish line, the president frequently took to social media and public address systems to praise the spectacle, framing the race as a testament to American engineering and executive leadership. Critics and political analysts quickly noted that the entire weekend seemed meticulously designed to stroke the president’s ego, projecting an image of unrivaled pageantry and power in the heart of the capital.

The Indy Car driven by Championship points leader Spanish driver Alex Palou, races past the Capitol Building to obtain pole position. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

On the plus side, the event itself was well-attended. According to official metrics provided by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and event organizers, daily crowd sizes reached approximately 140,000 attendees for each day of the race weekend, which did inject millions into the local DC economy. And to put his stamp of approval on the entire race weekend, President Trump did a ‘victory lap’ around his contrived track in the Beast limousine before waving the green flag.

Yet, less than a mile away from the VIP paddocks where corporate sponsors sipped champagne, a starkly different reality persisted. The luxury and excess of the Grand Prix stood in sharp contrast to the economic reality gripping the country. As millions of dollars were spent on high-tech tires, fuel, and specialized track barriers, millions of Americans continued to struggle with basic, essential payments like food, gasoline, health and housing.

The optics of the event drew sharp criticism from economic analysts and social advocates alike. While teams burned through resources to shave tenths of a second off lap times, inflation and wage stagnation meant that ordinary families were facing agonizing choices at the grocery store. The cost of food has remained a persistent burden for household budgets, forcing many to rely on local food banks that are already stretched to their limits.

Similarly, the literal fuel driving the weekend’s entertainment highlighted a broader energy frustration. While race cars emptied fuel tanks at over 150 mph for sport, average citizens faced an average price of $4.10 per gallon at the pump, making daily commutes to work a significant financial strain.

Was the race a success? Financially, you could say yes. According to NBC, this inaugural Indy race in DC was projected to generate $100-$200 million in total economic revenue for the local community with many hotels reporting over 90% occupancy. And it also earned Trump some brownie points with followers.

But in the world of motor racing, an event’s meaning and very existence is put into question when half the field fails to finish. While the race itself was a spectacle to be sure, only 13 out of 25 cars managed to complete the race thanks to the punishing nature of the hastily built temporary street circuit, unforgiving concrete walls and barriers, tight 90-degree bends, and aggressive driver decisions. Leading up to the race, even those involved admitted the track design invited disaster. An interview with IndyCar officials published by The New York Times noted that five of the course's seven turns were sharp right angles packed into a dense urban layout.

Just after Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global won the race, and the crowds dissipated, the barriers began to come down on Pennsylvania Avenue. While the weekend delivered the high-speed thrills promised by its promoters, it left behind a complex narrative. For some, it was a showcase of speed and spectacle; for others, it was an uncomfortable display of political vanity during a time of widespread economic hardship, war and needless squabbling with close neighbors.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com