D.C.'s IndyCar race will zoom past museums. Some worry it could harm the art inside

A 14-foot-tall blue rooster sculpture overlooks the racetrack from the roof of the National Gallery of Art's East Building in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption More than two dozen IndyCar drivers will race 147 laps around Washington, D.C.'s National Mall this weekend for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, celebrating the country's milestone birthday. The two-day event includes practices, qualifiers and warmups, culminating in the 250-mile race on Sunday afternoon. Cars will fly — at speeds up to 180 mph — around a 1.7-mile irregularly-shaped track smack-dab on the National Mall. Along the route, they will zoom past cultural institutions including the National Gallery of Art, the National Archives Building and the Smithsonian's National Air and Space and Hirshhorn Museums.

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Scoop News DeskWashington · Published Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 3:18 PM UTCUpdated Friday, August 21, 2026 at 2:45 PM UTC

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Beth Bell, chief marketing officer of The Dalí Museum, told NPR that the museum — which was designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane — has "remained safe and secure throughout the event's history." "With this excellent track record and the thorough preparation we have done for this event, working closely with all the appropriate local and federal agencies, we do not anticipate any impact on the structures surrounding the circuit as a result of the race," IndyCar spokesperson Alex Damron told NPR in a statement.

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