00:02Start your engines! IndyCar is taking over the streets of Washington this weekend with drivers racing past some of the
00:09country's most famous landmarks at super-fast speeds.
00:13It's called the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, part of the celebration of America's 250th birthday.
00:19The chorus winds through seven turns along the National Mall, 147 laps and 250 miles in all, making this the
00:28first-ever IndyCar race in Washington, D.C.
00:31And get this, drivers will go flying up Pennsylvania Avenue at speeds approaching 190 miles an hour.
00:39Organizers expect about 140,000 people to line the streets for Sunday's race.
00:44President Trump will be there, too, taking a ceremonial ride in advance of the main event.
00:49Before the engines even start, people in Washington are already split over whether this is a great way to celebrate
00:55America's birthday.
00:57I personally don't think it's a good idea.
00:59I think it's a waste of taxpayer dollars at a time when we aren't adequately funding education and healthcare and
01:05so many other things.
01:06And I think it's kind of a tacky way to celebrate our country's history and our 250th anniversary.
01:14There's many more ways that could do that in a more patriotic, celebratory way.
01:18It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
01:19So for us to complain about traffic for a couple of days, to be able to have a full-blown
01:23racetrack right in the heart of the city that we all live and love,
01:27it's going to be really exciting, and I can't wait to see it.
01:29But, yeah, I think it's going to be a really cool celebration.
01:32Practice and qualifying on Saturday with the main event Sunday afternoon starting near the Capital Reflecting Pool.
01:39The price tag? About $35 million.
01:42Roger Penske, the Penske Corporation, and corporate sponsors are helping foot the bill.
