INDYCAR is in Washington, D.C., this weekend for the Freedom 250, and the unique event is getting a unique trophy.
The Freedom 250 will be a street race to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday. It was designed as a 250-mile race on a 1.7-mile layout across landmark locations in D.C. Winning team owners will receive hardware built specifically for the event. The trophy scales and blends two D.C. icons: the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol dome.
The trophy is a representation of this one-of-a-kind venue framed by two historic landmarks on either end of the track. The look, according to designer Michael Montri, reflects the perspective from behind and through the Washington Monument while looking toward the Capitol Building across the National Mall and this incredible course.
Here are four things to know about the official INDYCAR Freedom 250 trophy.
The upper shaft of the Freedom 250 trophy isn’t a random pyramid. Instead, it’s a proportionally scaled tribute to the Washington Monument.
The upper section features a solid clear crystal pyramid modeled after the Washington Monument profile. The crystal pyramid features a 72.6-degree face angle and a 1,600 height-to-base ratio, matching the proportions of the physical monument. A hollow shaft continues down from the crystal at the same 72.6-degree angle in a straight line to the plinth.
The owner trophy is produced in three scaled sizes for the podium finishers.
Construction specs detail a black hollow base assembled with 45-degree miter joints and a mirror-finish polish where the plinth meets the base.
Crowning each trophy is a detailed model of the U.S. Capitol dome, and the components are scaled down across all three podium spots:
Tucked right beneath the plinth is a clever optical detail. The underside of the hollow plinth features a mirror-finish polish where it meets the black base.
This reflective deck directs light upward into the hollow shaft, illuminating the solid crystal pyramid and Capitol dome from within during victory lane celebrations.
The circular black base uses clever fabrication tricks to keep the design sleek. Assembled from a cylindrical wall ring and top deck disk, the base is brought together using 45-degree miter cuts along the slope. This hides the bond line seam completely inside the corner, giving the base a monolithic appearance.
The Freedom 250 will be an exceptional race but also expected to be the only one of its kind. INDYCAR could return to D.C. or the general mid-Atlantic area in the future, but this race is a one-time deal. And that easily could be the case for the trophy as well.
Only one driver in INDYCAR’s history will be able to say they conquered the U.S. Capitol course, and while there are three versions of the Freedom 250 trophy, there’s still only one first-place trophy.
Overall, as our Bob Pockrass pointed out, racing through the streets of the nation’s capital is a rare historic occasion.
“Racing on the streets of Washington, D.C., racing around some of the more iconic venues of the nation’s capital,” Pockrass said, “It’s going to test the drivers when it comes to heat. It’s going to test the drivers when it comes to strength, and it will be a test of the pit crews, since they’ll probably have at least four stops.”
Freedom 250 is slated to begin Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, and the green flag for the main race is expected to wave around 1:13 p.m. ET.
