Axios D.C. PM
August 21, 2026
1 big thing: 🐐 GOAT plays underdog
Scott Dixon has won most everything there is to win in America's open-wheel racing series — but there's never been a D.C. Grand Prix.
Why it matters: Already a Motorsports Hall of Famer and, as of last year, a knight, the New Zealander is looking for a new accolade in his No. 9 Honda.
- "Alongside the Indy 500, this is the one you're going to want to win," Dixon tells Axios.
State of play: The 46-year-old has the second most wins in IndyCar history, but he's still looking for his first victory of the season.
Zoom out: This is Sir Dixon's 25th — and final — season with the Chip Ganassi Racing team.
- He won six IndyCar championships with the team, plus the 2008 Indy 500.
- But he's hit a rough patch recently, finishing no better than 11th in his last several races.
"The Iceman" is no longer the face of his team.
- That would be Álex Palou, the 29-year-old Spaniard who has a huge lead atop the standings with four races left in the 18-event season.
😓 All 25 drivers in D.C. will face a marathon race on an unknown course through summer heat — and maybe rain.
- At 250 miles, it's the longest IndyCar street race since the '80s, Fox Sports reports.
- That could mean three hours of driving with temperatures in the 80s and D.C.'s famous humidity.
- "You lose about 5 pounds of water through sweat," Dixon tells Axios.
💪 IndyCar race cars don't have power steering. Drivers, who typically weigh around 150 pounds, have to battle G-forces as they muscle through turns.
- Think about a go-kart "times about 100," Dixon says.
Plus: D.C.'s slippery brick crosswalks and welded manhole covers could make for a bumpy ride.
Along with Dixon and Palou, fans should keep an eye on Kyle Kirkwood (No. 2 in the standings) and Marcus Ericsson.
- Those are the only drivers besides Palou to win on a street course this season.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the D.C. Grand Prix is the longest IndyCar street race since the '80s (not the longest IndyCar race).
2. Catch up quick: 💰 Trump's NPS fast lane
🌳 The National Park Service created a special docket of "White House priorities" to fast-track President Trump's pet projects.
- The Atlantic found that there's now a three-tiered system for review: White House priorities at the top, "high" priorities (medium) and "low" priorities (likely to go uncompleted).
- Projects around Washington saw spending increase about $100 million in the first eight and a half months of fiscal year 2026 compared with the full fiscal year prior, even as projects elsewhere were hampered by funding and staffing constraints.
🚙 Trump will wave the green flag to start the Freedom 250 Grand Prix and take a ceremonial lap in the presidential armored limo aka "The Beast." (NBC4)
🤢 Gordon Ramsay restaurants in Penn Quarter are allegedly smoking out their neighbors in a luxury condo building with burger fumes and fryer odors.
- Residents tell The Washington Post they've measured unsafe air quality levels in some units. The restaurant group and landlord Douglas Development deny the burger and pizza joints are at fault.
🏈 The Commanders visit the Lions on Saturday at noon (CBS). Coach Dan Quinn said "a good amount" of starters will play but wouldn't say whether QB Jayden Daniels will suit up. (NBC Sports)
3. 🏆 Historic hardware
IndyCar unveiled a solid crystal trophy yesterday for Sunday's Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
- Fox News reports the design adopts the exact proportions of the tip on the Washington Monument. That's the Capitol dome inside.
A "Be Best" helmet isn't all Melania got.
- IndyCar presented the First Lady with a $2 million check to go towards scholarships at Purdue and Indiana University under her Fostering the Future initiative.