There’s a lot of talk about the Freedom 250 Grand Prix this weekend in our nation’s capital and rightfully so. After all there will be two dozen 700-plus-horsepower “land rockets” buzzing around a ready-made street course as a full-blown motorized tribute to America’s 250th birthday, and that’s definitely a great thing to a self-confessed racing junkie like yours truly who is hoping for both great weather and no yellow flags when they race this Sunday.
However, it’s important to let everyone know that while I’m a staunch supporter of IndyCar, I maintain a great level of concern for the polarized situation our country is in today, and how we will have to navigate great changes to reunite all American citizens together.
Yes, I will admit that I’m as liberal as they come and do believe everyone in this country deserves a meal, shelter, an educational opportunity, and automatic access to health care without any exception whatsoever.
As I exit the soapbox you might ask, what does that have to do with the Freedom 250 Grand Prix and racing in general?
Actually, not a thing, but it’s really worth mentioning to make sure everyone knows how I feel politically, too.
There is a faction in Washington that will tell you this event would never have happened without the president … and, race fans, that’s simply not the truth of it all.
There is a faction in Washington that will tell you this event would never have happened without the president of the United States issuing an executive order and, race fans, that’s simply not the truth of it all.
Sure, it helped numerous ships sail all in the same direction when he claimed it was his idea, but the real credit belongs to both Penske Corporation President Bud Denker and the CEO of Fox Sports Eric Shanks, as their combined vision put this monumental task in play, and that in itself gave Trump the impetus to put his official pen to paper cementing the deal, and giving the NTT IndyCar Series the phenomenal opportunity to showcase the sport on a truly unimaginable stage, both in person and via a live television audience.
Denker and his staff are no strangers to organizing huge motorsports events, but the accelerated timetable he was given to create an enormous event this quickly is indeed mind-boggling and just may go down as the crown jewel of his career. Shanks too has been instrumental, and it goes without saying that their combined business acumen was key in getting this thing accomplished.
My aforementioned political beliefs aside, this is an opportunity to mix exciting open wheel racing with a salute to America’s 250th birthday for a few hours without worrying about inflation and gas prices.
We’re all for that, but I also realize many folks can’t understand the gravity of it all. I’m just saying it has the chance to be great and that’s just about all the racing this old curmudgeon needs on a Sunday afternoon. So, join me in putting all our partisan differences aside and watch something you’ll never see again. Just remember who put this show together and how hard they worked on what just might be an event of epic proportion, as well as a really good race to boot.
Notes: In addition to the IndyCar racing, an International Race of Champions exhibition race will be held in stock cars driven by NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Bill Elliott, and Rusty Wallace.
They will be joined by Indianapolis 500 champions Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves, and Tony Kanaan on Saturday.
You can watch all the IndyCar racing this weekend on Fox networks, including the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday at 11:30 AM Eastern Time on Fox 59. For more details log on to: freedom250gp.com.
Danny Bridges, who invites all Republicans and Democrats to enjoy IndyCar racing in D.C. starting this Friday, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or by email at bridgeshd@aol.com.Â
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://indianapolisrecorder.com/denker-and-shanks-made-the-freedom-250-grand-prix-happen/&media=https://indianapolisrecorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bridges-Danny-SFW-edited-e1732206141510.jpg&description=There's a lot of talk about the Freedom 250 Grand Prix this weekend in our nation's capital and rightfully so. After all there will be two dozen 700-plus-horsepower "land rockets" buzzing around a ready-made street course as a full-blown motorized tribute to America's 250th birthday, and that's definitely a great thing to a self-confessed racing junkie like yours truly who is hoping for both great weather and no yellow flags when they race this Sunday. However, it's important to let everyone know that while I'm a staunch supporter of IndyCar, I maintain a great level of concern for the polarized situation our country is in today, and how we will have to navigate great changes to reunite all American citizens together.){kind=link}