Kyle Kirkwood Controls Freedom 250 for Historic Washington Victory

What happened: Kyle Kirkwood won the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., controlling the inaugural race on a temporary circuit around the National Mall. IndyCar Communications reported that the Andretti Global driver led 128 of 147 laps and beat Christian Lundgaard by 3.0906 seconds on Sunday.

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Kirkwood started second but moved past pole-sitter Alex Palou at Turn 2 on the opening lap after President Donald Trump waved the green flag. From there, IndyCar said Kirkwood surrendered the lead only during pit-stop sequences. His advantage reached more than 16 seconds before a late caution compressed the field and produced a final restart.

Lundgaard finished second for Arrow McLaren, while Will Power and Marcus Ericsson gave Andretti Global three of the first four positions. Kyffin Simpson completed the top five for Chip Ganassi Racing. Motorsport.com's official results showed that 13 of the 25 starters finished on the lead lap and five cars did not finish.

The victory was Kirkwood's second of the season and seventh of his IndyCar career. Six of those seven wins have come on temporary street circuits, according to the series. His other victory this season also came at a new street event, the inaugural race in Arlington, Texas.

Championship impact: Palou endured a difficult afternoon and finished 20th, two laps behind the winner. IndyCar reported that the championship leader received a drive-through penalty after making contact with a rival's tire during a pit stop, lost more time during a slow stop caused by a loose wheel, and crashed at Turn 4 on lap 123 after earlier wall contact damaged a toe link.

Kirkwood entered the race 133 points behind Palou, but the gap fell to 91 with three events remaining, according to IndyCar. The 250-mile race was staged on a seven-turn, 1.7-mile layout and was the first motor race held around the National Mall. The Associated Press reported that Trump and first lady Melania Trump took a slow lap in the presidential limousine before the start, while the event formed part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.