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Washington transformed into a high-speed motor circuit on Sunday for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a marquee event celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary.
U.S. President Donald Trump rode a ceremonial lap in his armored limousine and waved the green flag to start Sunday's IndyCar race through the streets of Washington, capping the celebrations.
Trump, who created the Freedom 250 Grand Prix by executive order for the anniversary commemoration, had a prime view of the 250-mile (400-kilometer) spectacle as open-wheel cars roared past iconic landmarks at speeds up to 185 mph (298 km/h).
A Marine from "The Commandant's Own," the U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps, performed ahead of the NTT INDYCAR Series race in Washington.
The U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon also performed before the start of the race, part of the same program marking the country's anniversary.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump slowly took a pre-race lap around the 1.7-mile layout inside his armored limousine known as "The Beast," weaving around such landmarks such as the Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol and museums.
American Kyle Kirkwood won his seventh career IndyCar race after 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42.9548 seconds, beating Denmark's Christian Lundgaard by 3.09 seconds with Australian Will Power third.
"You can't even put it into words. This is incredible," Kirkwood said. "I'm almost in tears. This is a big moment for us. A big moment for America."
Power was stunned to meet Trump, saying, "Shaking President Trump's hand, it was pretty crazy. For me from a small town in Australia to be talking to an American president is surreal... then getting behind the wheel and racing."
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