IndyCar DC race starting grid: Pole position, qualifying results, start time

Championship points leader Alex Palou wins the pole position for the Freedom 250 , his seventh pole start this season. Kyle Kirkwood also earns a front-row starting spot for the IndyCar Series race on the streets of Washington, D.C.

Kyffin Simpson had a time to advance into the second round but crashed, throwing it out and sending him toward the rear of the field. Will Power , Marcus Ericsson , Rinus VeeKay make wall contact during qualifying. Graham Rahal made significant contact in the second practice session.

Santino Ferrucci faces a 6-position grid penalty for excessive engine changes through the season.

IndyCar is on a new street course for the second consecutive weekend, this time for a 147-lap race on a 7-turn, 1.7-mile layout, the longest street-course race in series history.

Last weekend's race in Canada provided a lot of action as Palou extended his championship points lead. Kirkwood, David Malukas and Christian Lundgaard are in a tight race for second place.

Alex Palou WINS the pole for the Freedom 250! pic.twitter.com/rATospfea5

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) August 22, 2026 Who won pole position for the IndyCar race DC? IndyCar starting grid for Freedom 250

(*-Includes 6-position grid penalty for excessive engine changes)

Row 1

1, Alex Palou

2, Kyle Kirkwood

Row 2

3, Scott McLaughlin

4, Christian Rasmussen

Row 3

5, Marcus Armstrong

6, David Malukas

Row 4

7, Pato O'Ward

8, Dennis Hauger

Row 5

9, Christian Lundgaard

10, Felix Rosenqvist

Row 6

11, Caio Collet

12, Nolan Siegel

Row 7

13, Will Power

14, Scott Dixon

Row 8

15, Marcus Ericsson

16, Josef Newgarden

Row 9

17, Alexander Rossi

18, Louis Foster

Row 10

19, Rinus VeeKay

20, Mick Schumacher

Row 11

21, Romain Grosjean

22, Graham Rahal

Row 12

23, Sting Ray Robb

24, Kyffin Simpson

Row 13

25, Santino Ferrucci *

When does the IndyCar Series race in Washington D.C.? IndyCar schedule for the Freedom 250

(All times ET; all IndyCar sessions are on IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio and Sirius XM Channel 218)

Sunday, Aug. 23

9:15 a.m. : IndyCar warm-up, FS1

1 p.m. : IndyCar race, Fox (green flag at 1:13 p.m.)

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IndyCar TV schedule this weekend: How to watch the Freedom 250 in Washington D.C.?

TV : Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, on  Fox . Green flag is scheduled for 1:13 p.m.  Will Buxton  is the play-by-play voice, with analysts  James Hinchcliffe  and  Townsend Bell . Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters.

Predictions for Freedom 250 IndyCar race at Washington D.C. from IndyStar's  Zion Brown

Five drivers tied or earned their best finish of the season last weekend on a debut course? Who's in line for a season best this weekend? "I love a good redemption story, so I'll say Louis Foster , who won the pole and led the most laps in Markham before wrecking. I'll pick him to get his first career top-five finish this weekend."

Six points separate second through fourth place in the drivers' standings. Who leaves D.C. In second place?  "Of those three drivers – Kyle Kirkwood , David Malukas and Christian Lundgaard – Kirkwood performs the best on street circuits, so I'll choose him to maintain second place."

How much are Freedom 250 tickets? How much are tickets for the IndyCar race in DC?

IndyCar tickets for Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C.

Who won the IndyCar DC in 2025?

This is the first race in the nation's capital.

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Who is leading IndyCar? 2026 IndyCar points, standings, results

Alex Palou has won six races, Josef Newgarden and Christian Lundgaard two each, and Kyle Kirkwood , Felix Rosenqvist , Pato O'Ward and Marcus Ericsson one each. (Points are for full-season entrants)

Alex Palou , 542 points

Kyle Kirkwood , 409

David Malukas , 405

Christian Lundgaard , 403

Pato O'Ward , 385

Josef Newgarden , 352

Scott McLaughlin , 345

Felix Rosenqvist , 344

Marcus Ericsson , 329

Rinus VeeKay , 295

Will Power , 292

Scott Dixon , 264

Graham Rahal , 258

Kyffin Simpson , 252

Marcus Armstrong , 244

Santino Ferrucci , 225

Alexander Rossi , 218

Romain Grosjean , 209

Louis Foster , 200

Nolan Siegel , 195

Dennis Hauger , 189

Christian Rasmussen , 164

Caio Collet , 158

Mick Schumacher , 151

Sting Ray Robb , 150

How can I stream the IndyCar DC race? How to stream the Freedom 250 IndyCar?

FoxSports.com ,  Fox Sports app

Watch IndyCar action on Fubo

How can I listen to IndyCar DC race Freedom 250?

IndyCar Nation  is on SiriusXM Channel 218,  IndyCar Live  and the  IndyCar Radio Network  ( check affiliates for each race ). Mark Jaynes is the anchor, with driver analyst Davey Hamilton.

Will it rain during the IndyCar race at Washington, D.C.? Weather Washington, D.C., forecast for IndyCar race

Saturday : Rain likely with a high in the low 80s.

Sunday : Partly sunny with a potential thunderstorm, and a high in the mid 80s.

IndyCar schedule 2026; when is the Washington DC IndyCar race?

(*-street course; ^-road course; #-oval; all races on Fox, SiriusXM Channel 218; times are start of TV coverage, ET)

March 1 : St. Petersburg, Fla. * ( Winner : Alex Palou )

Saturday, March 7 : Phoenix # ( Winner : Josef Newgarden )

Sunday, March 15 : Arlington, Texas * ( Winner : Kyle Kirkwood )

Sunday, March 29 : Birmingham, Alabama ^ ( Winner : Alex Palou )

Sunday, April 19 : Long Beach, California * ( Winner : Alex Palou )

Saturday, May 9 : Indianapolis road course ^ ( Winner : Christian Lundgaard )

Sunday, May 24 : Indianapolis 500 # ( Winner : Felix Rosenqvist )

Sunday, May 31 : Detroit * ( Winner : Alex Palou )

Sunday, June 7 : Madison, Illinois # ( Winner : Josef Newgarden )

Sunday, June 21 : Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin ^ ( Winner : Christian Lundgaard )

Sunday, July 5 : Lexington, Ohio ^ ( Winner : Pato O...