RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 22: Kyle Kirkwood, driver of the #27 Sam's Club Honda drives to practice for the NTT INDYCAR Series Freedom 250 on August 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two practice sessions are in the books on the streets of the nation’s capital.
But who will take pole position for the IndyCar Freedom 250?
Kyle Kirkwood topped the timing sheets during the first practice session, ahead of Alex Palou, the driver he is chasing in the IndyCar standings. But it was Palou who led the way in the second session, just 0.0766 seconds ahead of Kirkwood.
Scott Dixon and the Arrow McLaren pair of Nolan Siegel and Pato O’Ward rounded out the top five from the second practice session. Their Arrow McLaren teammate Christian Lundgaard posted the sixth-fastest time.
Speaking with the media, including SB Nation , following the first practice session Palou talked at length about the 1.7-mile track that winds around the National Mall, with landmarks such as the Washington Monument and the United States Capitol Building helping to round out the backdrop.
“It’s a blast, super fun. Very bumpy, huge bumps heading into turn two and turn six. Massive bumps that are going to spice things up,” described Palou.
“I think it’s actually going to create good racing just because it’s quite tough to go over there and have good braking and also have good traction when the bumps are on exits. Yeah, really fun. Incredible to see the Capitol Hill, exit of seven, just incredible experience. Yeah, so far super happy.”
Now focus turns to the qualifying session later today. How will the grid line up at the start tomorrow? We will find out in a few short hours.
Update: Alex Palou has taken pole position for the Freedom 250, and will start alongside Kyle Kirkwood who took P2.
Freedom 250 provisional starting order
Here is the provisional starting order for the Freedom 250, which will be filled in throughout the session:
Position Driver Team 1 Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing 2 Kyle Kirkwood Andretti Global 3 Scott McLaughlin Team Penske 4 Christian Rasmussen Ed Carpenter Racing 5 Marcus Armstrong Meyer Shank Racing 6 David Malukas Team Penske 7 Pato O’Ward Arrow McLaren 8 Dennis Hauger Dale Coyne Racing 9 Christian Lundgaard Arrow McLaren 10 Felix Rosenqvist Meyer Shank Racing 11 Caio Collet A.J. Foyt Racing 12 Nolan Siegel Arrow McLaren 13 Will Power Andretti Global 14 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 15 Marcus Ericsson Andretti Global 16 Josef Newgarden Team Penske 17 Alexander Rossi Ed Carpenter Racing 18 Louis Foster Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 19 Rinus VeeKay Juncos Hollinger Racing 20 Mick Schumacher Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 21 Romain Grosjean Dale Coyne Racing 22 Santino Ferrucci A. J. Foyt Enterprises 23 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 24 Sting Ray Robb Juncos Hollinger Racing 25 Kyffin Simpson Chip Ganassi Racing
Freedom 250: Who advanced to the Fast 6?
These six drivers advanced to the Fast 6:
Alex Palou
Scott McLaughlin
Kyle Kirkwood
Marcus Armstrong
David Malukas
Christian Rasmussen
Freedom 250: Who advanced to the Top 12?
The 12 drivers who advanced to the Top 12 in qualifying for the Freedom 250 were:
Alex Palou
Scott McLaughlin
Kyle Kirkwood
Caio Collet
Pato O’Ward
Dennis Hauger
Christian Rasmussen
Felix Rosenqvist
Christian Lundgaard
David Malukas
Nolan Siegel
Marcus Armstrong
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