Race Cars Are Coming to the National Mall. Museums Are Worried.

More than two dozen IndyCar drivers will race 147 laps around a 1.7-mile street course on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall this weekend. The event is called the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. It is the first auto race ever held on the Mall and the city's historic streets. The two-day event runs Aug. 22–23, 2026, as part of the country's 250th birthday celebration. It ends with a 250-mile race on Sunday afternoon. The event is free to attend. (IndyCar)

The course is not a normal oval or rectangle. It passes the National Gallery of Art, the National Archives Building, and the Smithsonian's National Air and Space and Hirshhorn Museums. Cars can reach speeds up to 180 mph. The National Gallery's sculpture garden sits along the route. Critics have noted that the speed limit on the National Mall is usually about 25 mph and that no race like this has ever been held there. Organizers had less than a year to plan it. (NPR)

The National Gallery of Art boarded up some of its outdoor art ahead of the race. Gallery spokesperson Chris Abanavas said the museum ran a vibration study, which means testing how much the ground shakes from the race cars and whether that shaking could harm the building and its art. The gallery put safety measures in place for staff, visitors, the collection, and the building. The gallery would not share the details of the study or its safety plan with NPR. (NPR)

Advisers who looked at the data and talked with NASCAR beforehand told the National Gallery that vibrations from the IndyCar cars should not be a major risk to the museum's artworks, according to The Washington Post. (Washington Post)

The National Archives and Records Administration and the Smithsonian Institution did not answer NPR's questions about how they prepared or whether they had concerns. A nonprofit group that works to preserve historic places called the event "foolish and reckless" and asked for more protections for historic murals, which are large paintings on walls, on the National Mall. (WTOP)

Art historian Mary Okin, assistant director at Living New Deal, said she is concerned that racing could put extraordinary works at risk for future generations. (NPR)

Race organizers, the White House, and IndyCar, which is owned by Penske Entertainment Corp., said they are taking proper precautions and do not expect damage from the race. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the White House and Penske have followed all the right protocols and worked with the relevant agencies to make sure the race is safe and secure. IndyCar spokesperson Alex Damron said organizers do not expect any impact on the buildings around the course. (NPR)

IndyCar officials pointed to other races held near sensitive places, including one in Detroit's Belle Isle Park and one that passes the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Beth Bell, chief marketing officer of The Dalí Museum, said the museum was built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane and has stayed safe and secure throughout the event's history. (NPR)

IndyCar drivers visited the White House ahead of the Grand Prix to promote the event. The course is designed to give views of several landmarks that organizers called symbols of national pride and unity. (IndyCar)

The broader context is that putting a major car race on the National Mall is unusual because the Mall is not a race track or an empty industrial area. It is a place packed with irreplaceable art, historic documents, and important buildings. Each institution along the route has handled the situation differently, and some have not shared what they are doing to prepare. The National Gallery ran its own vibration study, talked to NASCAR, and boarded up outdoor sculptures, which suggests it is taking its own steps rather than just trusting the organizers. The Smithsonian and the National Archives declining to answer questions leaves the public without a full picture of how those institutions have prepared.

The other races IndyCar points to as examples involve museums built to handle tough conditions or parks that are more spread out. The National Mall is different because the course runs directly past four major institutions and everything inside them. The comparison is useful but not exact. Also, organizers had less than a year to plan, which makes it harder to fully study whether the shaking could damage outdoor sculptures, murals, or old documents.

What is still unknown is whether the studies and the safety steps will be enough. The institutions and the organizers have stated their positions. The race itself, and checking the art and buildings afterward, will be the real test.