By: Chris Perkins, Senior Writer & Editor, GM News

 

 

 

For the first time, some of the fastest race cars in the world will streak past the National Mall in Washington, D.C., duking it out for victory in a motorsport event – and a birthday celebration – unlike any other. This weekend, the NTT Data INDYCAR series will hold the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on the streets of the nation’s capital. Chevrolet and General Motors will be there in a big way, as an official engine supplier for the INDYCAR series.

 

This race isn’t just an opportunity for Chevrolet drivers to compete for glory – it’s a showcase of GM’s technology, innovation, and impact in America.

 

The Event

The Freedom 250 Grand Prix is the 15th round of the 2026 NTT Data INDYCAR season. INDYCAR is the premiere U.S. racing series for single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel (i.e. no bodywork covering the wheels) cars. The series visits permanent road courses, oval tracks, and metropolitan street circuits made up of closed public roads throughout North America.

 

The drivers who take part are among the best in the world, so the competition is fierce. That’s helped by the fact that the basic bones of each car are virtually identical. The main differences are in how each team prepares the car, and the engine that powers it. That’s where Chevy comes in.

 

Chevrolet is the only American brand supplying engines for the series. The engine is a 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 making around 735 horsepower with the hybrid system adding a further 60 hp. Since returning to INDYCAR in 2012, Chevrolet has racked up more than 100 race wins, multiple drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships, and six Indianapolis 500 victories.

 

This weekend, 12 drivers from five teams will compete with Chevy power:

 

A.J. Foyt Enterprises

 

Caio Collet

 

Santino Ferrucci

 

Arrow McLaren

 

Christian Lundgaard

 

Nolan Seigel

 

Pato O’Ward

 

Ed Carpenter Racing

 

Alexander Rossi

 

Christian Rasmussen

 

Juncos Hollinger Racing

 

Rinus Veekay

 

Sting Ray Robb

 

Team Penske

 

David Malukas

 

Josef Newgarden

 

Scott McLauglin

 

With walls lining the track, leaving no margin for error, street circuits like the one in Washington D.C. pose a unique challenge to drivers. Unlike the other street circuits INDYCAR visits – like Detroit, St. Petersburg, Florida, and Long Beach, California, for example – no one has raced in D.C. before. That adds an element of unpredictability that will reward the sharpest teams and drivers.

 

The Freedom 250 Grand Prix will race past iconic American monuments like the U.S. Capitol and along Pennsylvania Ave. It will be well worth tuning in for.

 

Why Chevrolet and GM Race

Caption: Scott McLaughlin in the #3 Team Penske Chevrolet and Nolan Siegel in the #6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at the recent Streets of Markham INDYCAR race.

 

There’s an element of truth to the old racing adage, “win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” but for GM and Chevrolet, motorsport is so much more than that. This is where the company develops technology that defines the production cars of today and tomorrow.

 

One of the best proof points is the Corvette Z06. This high-performance road-going sports car shares about 80% of its engine components with the same Corvette Z06 GT3.R race car that’s racked up victories at Le Mans, Daytona, Sebring, and many other races.

 

“In addition to gaining the obvious technology advancements from racing that help improve the vehicles our customers love, we race because ultimately it contributes to building a winning culture,” says GM President Mark Reuss. “When we win, the company wins. That winning mindset is contagious, and it helps improve performance across the enterprise, just as racing improves our engineering and technology. That’s why it’s so valuable to us.”

 

GM has the broadest motorsports portfolios of any automaker today. Beyond INDYCAR, Chevrolet competes in NASCAR, worldwide sports-car series, off-road truck racing, and drag racing. Cadillac this year became the first U.S. automaker to enter Formula 1, and it also runs a successful endurance-racing program, with the V-Series.R competing at prestigious events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Daytona.

 

Investing (and Racing) In America

Caption: The entrance to the GM Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina.

 

Much of the engineering behind these programs happens right here in America. In North Carolina, the Charlotte Technical Center (CTC) is the primary hub for GM Motorsports where 1,000 employees support a global racing presence. Thanks in part to this facility, GM contributes $300 million annually to North Carolina’s GDP, with every dollar of that supporting an additional $3.30 in economic activity in the state.

 

That’s just one state. In Michigan, GM develops and builds racing engines in Pontiac. It also tests technology virtually and in the real world at the Milford Proving Ground and the Global Technical Center in Warren. The Cadillac Formula 1 Team will soon have a new home in Indianapolis, and by the end of the decade will be building F1 power units in Charlotte adjacent to the CTC.

 

At the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, GM’s innovation and impact will be evident on track, but it’s also evident every day in so many communities and driveways across America.

 

“We’re thrilled to take part in this fabulous celebration of America’s 250th anniversary,” says Reuss. “We have demonstrated our commitment to American manufacturing, and events like the Freedom 250 Grand Prix let us highlight the world-class innovation and technology we develop right here in America. And I can't wait to get in a few Corvette hot laps on the track myself!”