President Donald Trump anticipates ‘awesome display’ at IndyCar's Freedom 250 Grand Prix

WASHINGTON — Team Penske driver David Malukas walked into the president’s gift shop at the White House and saw President Donald Trump spraying a fellow IndyCar driver with cologne. 

As Trump sprayed 2025 Indy 500 winner Alex Palou, he turned to Malukas and jokingly said, “You need some of this.”

“It wasn't one spray either,” Felix Rosenqvist interjected as the three drivers shared a laugh while reflecting on their eventful day during the Freedom 250 Grand Prix reception featuring members of Trump’s cabinet and corporate sponsors at a commercial office building in Washington.

That was one of their many “surreal” moments, as Malukas called it, during the Freedom 250 Grand Prix Showcase at the White House on Monday. Trump hosted the drivers along with Penske founder Roger Penske and Penske president Bud Denker.

The Freedom 250 Grand Prix will take place in Washington on Aug. 22 and 23. It will be the first motorsport event on the National Mall. 

“It will be an awesome display of American patriotism and raw horsepower and ingenuity. You're going to see cars at the level that they've never been at before, with cars racing more than 190 miles per hour and even higher than that down Pennsylvania Avenue,” Trump said in front of a crowd of reporters and Eisenhower Executive Office building employees. “It wasn't exactly designed for that but what (secretary of transportation) Sean Duffy has done with these incredible, brilliant people is amazing. It's going to be a sight for the ages. It will be something special. It'll be one of the most unforgettable racing events the world has ever seen.

"And they're going to go all around the National Mall at speeds — if we did that during the regular day, I think people would be put in jail perhaps for the rest of their lives. It wasn't supposed to be that way, but it's going to be beautiful. It's going to be a beautiful thing to watch.”

Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 30 to launch the race. Penske recognized the administration and said IndyCar is “fortunate to have the most important office in the world give us the green light and then the checkered flag to have this event in August.”

The race is expected to have more than 100,000 attendees. Tickets for Freedom 250 are free and any proceeds will go to charity. Malukas, Palou and Rosenqvist agreed a race in the nation’s capital will expose the sport to people who may not be familiar with IndyCar. 

“It's an opportunity to showcase the technology, the speed, the partnerships and the athletes that make such a difference," Penske said. "We think about the Indy 500 as an iconic race. But this is going to move right up there next to it from the standpoint of the best in the world.”

Rosenqvist believed the Freedom 250 Grand Prix was a joke when he first heard about it. “There’s no way we are gonna race in the nation’s capital,” he thought. Just a few months, one daughter and a Borg-Warner Trophy later, Rosenqvist stood next to the president during his first time in Washington. Rosenqvist, who called himself “Swoosier,” or a Swedish Hoosier, said he “can’t wait to be back to celebrate America's 250th.”

“This country has done a lot of good things for me, so I’m really proud to represent what we're doing here,” he said. 

Monday’s visit was also Palou’s first time in the city. Palou hopes he and his peers “put on a show” when they return. 

“Now we see bikes and people driving normal cars and in a couple weeks, it's going to be all walls,” Palou said. “We're going at more than 180 miles per hour, so it's going to be fun. It's going to be a great event.” 

Malukas and IndyCar pit crew members gave Trump and onlookers a taste of what to expect come late August. Malukas drove a Freedom 250-branded race car to a makeshift pit stop in front of the West Wing entrance. The pit crew changed the tires in 6.5 seconds. 

The drivers entered the West Wing following Malukas’ demonstration and made their way to the Oval Office and the president’s gift shop. Malukas, Palou and Rosenqvist left with teddy bears, hats and “the most beautiful box opener yet,” Malukas said. 

“The cologne part was the best, though,” Palou admitted. 

Malukas called the day “incredible” and “one to remember.”

“It’s unforgettable, just like how it's going to be Aug. 23,” Malukas said. “Outside the Indy 500, this is going to be one that we're really going to be pushing for.”

More: David Malukas is turning IndyCar’s most painful finishes into a shot at glory

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Malukas plans to find the biggest American flag if he wins Freedom 250. Rosenqvist wants to jump in the reflecting pool if he finishes first. Palou said he “doesn't want to get in trouble.”

May is inevitable. Another Indy 500 awaits these drivers.

America only turns 250 once. 

"It was Eric Shanks and my idea to bring this vision to our capital. And in 41 short days, you're going to see the remarkable athletes competing for the one and only trophy that they're ever going to see here possibly, and that's the trophy to celebrate our country,” Denker said. 

Joshua Heron is an enterprise and Fever reporter. Follow him @HeronReports on X. Zion Brown is IndyStar's motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: President Donald Trump anticipates ‘awesome display’ at IndyCar's Freedom 250 Grand Prix