American driver Kyle Kirkwood, No. 27 Andretti Global Honda, took home the win at the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., last week.
Kirkwood led 128 of the 147 laps of the race in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda for Andretti Global. His second win of the season and seventh of his career, six of those seven on street circuits.
“I mean [winning] was huge, right? I think after last weekend, my mistakes there kinda flipped the switch. These mistakes feel terrible, and sometimes those are actually good for me because I feel like all this week I’ve worked harder than I ever have in preparation for this event,” said Kirkwood.
Kirkwood and Ron Ruzewski, Team Principal for Andretti Global, discussed the win in the post-race presser.
“I think as a whole our team has really been clicking; we’re starting to see the momentum, the team is really jelling,” said Ruzewski.
Speaking about his emotional state during the race, Kirkwood shared that the pressure kept him focused, taking care not to become distracted so he could finish strong.
“These inaugural events this year, it’s really shown the strength of the team on how they all bound together and really took it on. It’s instrumental for the drivers to work together and try things and spread that information amongst each other,” said Ruzewski.
Kirkwood debated whether he would return if the race were held again in D.C., saying he enjoys being the only winner; however, he also liked the prospect of winning again.
“The engineering group has done a phenomenal job all this season, whether it’s street courses, road courses, ovals. We’ve elevated the game exponentially, and it starts with them,” said Kirkwood.
Kirkwood shared his thoughts on the magnitude of the event.
“There’s an instinct when you have when you wake up, and your heart’s already racing; I only get that feeling at one other place, and that’s the Indy 500. Outside of the Indy 500, I don’t think there’s another race you’d want to win,” said Kirkwood.
Kirkwood shared that this win is his most satisfying so far and seeing the fans in the stands was one of his favorite views while racing.
“We had the pace, we had the car, we had the crew, everything was tied up for us; we just had to execute and not make any mistakes,” said Kirkwood.
Ruzewski asserted that this win was the culmination of weeks of practice and execution.
First to speak about the race overall were second and third place finishers Danish competitor Christian Lundgaard, who drove the No. 7 Arrow McLaren, and Australian racer Will Power, No. 26 TWG AI Honda.
“What an experience all weekend, the best background I’ve ever had on a racetrack, obviously,” said Lundgaard.
Lundgaard and Powers shared their excitement about potentially returning to race in D.C.
Powers said that seeing President Donald Trump at the event was a great sign for the series moving forward, and expanded on what it was like to meet with President Trump before beginning the race.
“A lot of my positions were gained just on track passes; it was everything you’d want. Having an American president still there when I pulled up, you could see President Trump still watching, which meant the race must have been pretty engaging, which is really great stuff. Great for the series,” said Powers.
Chairman of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix Bud Denker made an appearance at the post race press conference to answer questions as well.
“To see the people on the National Mall, everybody had a smile on their face. It didn’t matter if you were Democrat or Republican here. It just shows you in this sport we can bring things together,” said Denker.
Denker continued that, according to him, the Metropolitan Police Department, the mayor of D.C., the fire department, and the Secret Service told him that the Freedom 250 Grand Prix was the first event in the country without a protest.
“This was not a race; this was an event,” said Denker.
Denker shared the massive accomplishment of pulling off the event in seven months since it was greenlit by President Trump and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.
“When we jumped in the truck and drove around, you could see the pageantry. It had a very Indy 500 vibe,” said Powers when asked about when the magnitude of the race hit him first in the post-race press conference.
Lundgaard and Powers are both international drivers who saw the race as incredibly meaningful and special, and as a chance to be part of such a big event in this country.
“I feel like this is a good contender to the Indy 500, but I think overall this is just a testament to where the series is going. I think Milwaukee [referencing the then upcoming race], to some extent, is going to feel a little boring, just so different. Nothing is like D.C. I think we did very well for our first time,” said Lundgaard in response to the same question.
Denker added that, even though the event is very expensive to produce, President Trump is enthusiastic about the possibility of holding it annually for at least five years.
Photos by Listen in With KNN lead photographer and FOX Sports Radio photographer Joy Washington.
Digital and Editorial Summer intern for Listen in with KNN.