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President Donald Trump on Monday ended the debate over whether race drivers are athletes as his administration showed off the power of IndyCar vehicles ahead of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., next month.
Trump participated in the Freedom 250 Grand Prix showcase at the White House along with IndyCar star Alex Palou, racing team owner Roger Penske and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
AMERICA’S 250TH CELEBRATION IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL DRIVEN BY THE ICONIC AUTO MANUFACTURER’S 2-WEEK TRIBUTE TO INNOVATION
President Donald Trump reacts after receiving a helmet on West Executive Drive at the White House during a showcase of the upcoming Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race on Monday, July 13, 2026, in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP (Alex Brandon/AP)
“Next month these exceptional drivers and athletes will be great athletes,” Trump said. “Nothing anyone can do. They are born with something special. They are born with the ability to push the pedal to the metal. Most people can’t do that. Very few people can.
“They are beautiful cars. They will make freedom roar. This will be a freedom that will roar like never before.”
The exhibition also featured a live pit stop.
The Freedom 250 Washington, DC Grand Prix will take place on August 22-23. The track layout features a 1.66-mile course and seven turns.
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Alex Palou, the reigning IndyCar champion, gives a helmet to President Donald Trump on West Executive Drive at the White House during a showcase of the upcoming Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race on Monday, July 13, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Trump’s statement comes amid a heated debate in the racing world over whether professional racing drivers are actually athletes.
ESPN star Stephen A. Smith entered that territory in April when a caller on his radio show suggested that Richard Petty was one of the greatest athletes of all time. He said driving a car doesn’t “count” as an athlete.
NASCAR greats Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson rejected Smith’s advances in an interview with Pak Gazette Digital in May before the Indy 500.
President Donald Trump speaks with Alex Palou, Bud Denker, David Malukas and Roger Penske on West Executive Drive at the White House during a showcase of the upcoming Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race on Monday, July 13, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)
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Larson, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, challenged Smith, or anyone else, to take a lap in a race car “without feeling like you’re going to die.”
