The Federal Aviation Administration plans to suspend flight operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for three hours on Aug. 23 as Washington hosts the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, the first INDYCAR race staged on the National Mall.
Flights are expected to pause from 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. EDT, according to an FAA statement. The agency said it has been coordinating with stakeholders to ensure the safe and efficient movement of air traffic during the event. The schedule remains subject to change, and travelers are being advised to check directly with their airlines.
The closure will coincide with the main event of the Aug. 22–23 race weekend. Organizers have laid out a 1.7-mile, seven-turn street circuit around the National Mall, including a four-tenths-of-a-mile straightaway on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Drivers will pass the National Archives, National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, with views of the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument. The race was recently extended to 147 laps, bringing its total distance to a symbolic 250 miles.
President Trump launched the event with a Jan. 30 executive order directing the Interior and Transportation departments to designate a route, accelerate permits and prepare the course.
The order also authorized the transportation secretary to use available funds to help facilitate the race and coordinate with the FAA on permitted drone use and aerial photography without compromising nearby federal facilities.
Trump said the race would showcase Washington’s majesty as drivers navigate a course near the capital’s best-known landmarks. A White House fact sheet cast the event as a celebration of American engineering, innovation and high-performance racing during the nation’s 250th anniversary year.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has become one of the administration’s most enthusiastic promoters of the event.
“Freedom doesn’t ring, it revs,” Duffy said when the race was announced.
The Transportation Department said the event would put Washington on a world stage and predicted it would generate unprecedented tourism revenue for the city.
Other Trump officials have echoed that message. At the March unveiling of the course, Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley described the race as a modern extension of America’s celebratory racing tradition, while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said INDYCAR embodied innovation, drive and resilience.
INDYCAR’s official announcement said the event has the support of those officials as well as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
General admission is free, and the race will air nationally on FOX. Premium access comes at a steep price: the official Champions Club package costs $5,000 per person for two days and includes elevated track views, climate-controlled space and all-inclusive food and drinks.
The Aug. 23 pause will add to a growing list of disruptions at Reagan National connected to high-profile events in the capital. The FAA halted DCA flights for much of July 4 during the America 250 celebration, a suspension that The Hill reported contributed to hundreds of cancellations. The airport also paused operations during Trump’s Army anniversary parade in June 2025.
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