The 2026 Race
Race distance: 147 laps / 250 miles (402.3 km)
Push-to-Pass: can be used for a total of 150 seconds, with a maximum of 15 seconds per activation
Tires: six sets of standard, harder compound Firestone tires and five alternate, softer sets per car (rookies get one additional set of standard tires)
Green flag: Sunday, August 23, 1:13 PM (ET)
Expected race time: +/- 2 hour and 30 minutes
Number of participants: 25
Entry List for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington
#2 Josef Newgarden – Astemo Team Penske (Chevrolet)
#3 Scott McLaughlin – PPG Team Penske (Chevrolet)
#4 Caio Collet – Combitrans Amazona AJ Foyt Racing (Chevrolet)
#5 Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet)
#6 Nolan Siegel – Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet)
#7 Christian Lundgaard – Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet)
#8 Kyffin Simpson – Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)
#9 Scott Dixon – PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)
#10 Alex Palou – OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)
#12 David Malukas – Verizon Team Penske (Chevrolet)
#14 Santino Ferrucci – Homes For Our Troops AJ Foyt Racing (Chevrolet)
#15 Graham Rahal – Gaylor Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda)
#18 Romain Grosjean – BMAX Dale Coyne Racing (Honda)
#19 Dennis Hauger – Ault Block Chain Dale Coyne Racing (Honda)
#20 Alexander Rossi – ECR Java House (Chevrolet)
#21 Christian Rasmussen – ECR Splenda Stevia (Chevrolet)
#26 Will Power – TWG AI Andretti Global (Honda)
#27 Kyle Kirkwood – Sam's Club Andretti Global (Honda)
#28 Marcus Ericsson – Acura Andretti Global (Honda)
#45 Louis Foster – Desnuda Organic Tequila Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda)
#47 Mick Schumacher – Vanda Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda)
#60 Felix Rosenqvist – Texas A&M University Canada Meyer Shank Racing (Honda)
#66 Marcus Armstrong – Remax Meyer Shank Racing (Honda)
#76 Rinus VeeKay – Orion 180 Juncos Hollinger Racing (Chevrolet)
#77 Sting Ray Robb – Goodheart Juncos Hollinger Racing (Chevrolet)
Schedule for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington
Saturday, August 22
Practice 1: 9:05 AM – 10:30 AM
Practice 2: 1:05 PM – 2:30 PM
Qualifying: 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Sunday, August 23
Warm-up: 9:15 AM – 9:45 AM
Race – “Drivers, Start Your Engines” – 1:06 PM
Race – Green Flag: 1:13 PM
All times are Eastern Time.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington on TV
USA
Practice 1: Saturday, August 22 at 9:00 AM ET on FS1
Practice 2: Saturday, August 22 at 1:00 PM ET on FS2
Qualifying: Saturday, August 22 at 5:00 PM ET on FS2
Warm-up: Sunday, August 23 at 9:00 AM ET on FS1
Pre-race Show: Sunday, August 23 at 11:30 AM ET on FOX
Race: Sunday, August 23 at 1:00 PM ET on FOX
Canada
Both practice sessions and qualifying will be available on TSN Premium (TSN+). The race will also be shown on TSN Premium, with coverage starting at 11:30 AM ET.
UK
Second practice, qualifying and the race will be shown on Sky Sports F1. The race coverage begins at 6:00 PM (BST).
Australia
All sessions except the warm-up, as well as the race will be shown on Stan Sport. The race broadcast begins on Monday morning at 1:30 AM (AEST).
New Zealand
Practice 1, Practice 2 and Qualifying: Sky Sport Select
Warm-up: Sky Sport 5
Race: Sky Sport 3, coverage starts Monday morning at 3:30 AM (NZST)
Weather Forecast
There is a strong chance that rain will impact the race weekend in Washington. Saturday has a 94% chance of precipitation, with the possibility of heavy rain and even thunderstorms. The forecast for Sunday looks better, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures rising to 86°F (30°C), although there is still a chance of a thunderstorm.
Saturday, August 22: 81°F (27°C), cloudy with periods of rain, with a chance of heavy rain and thunderstorms
Sunday, August 23: 86°F (30°C), partly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms
Source: AccuWeather.com
Photography
