Alex Palou leads second practice at Freedom 250 Grand Prix

Alex Palou entered the Washington D.C. race weekend with a 133-point lead, and secured pole position for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. However, an uncharacteristically messy day for Palou opened the door for Kyle Kirkwood to make big gains as he captured the checkered flag. Kirkwood is now 91 points behind Palou with just three races left in the 2026 IndyCar season. Christian Lundgaard ...Keep reading

Alex Palou has won his seventh pole of the season, topping qualifying for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington.

The four-time champion dominated the Fast Six to beat Kyle Kirkwood by more than half a second for his seventh pole of 2026

Alex Palou is closing in on a fifth IndyCar championship — he could even clinch it this weekend in the nation's capital. Palou won his seventh pole of the season Saturday, topping qualifying for Sunday's Freedom 250 Grand Prix. Kyle Kirkwood had the fastest qualifying lap of 56.7729 seconds, but that was in the first round.

Alex Palou will lead the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field to green Sunday after capturing the pole position for the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. Palou delivered when it mattered most in qualifying, putting down a 56.899-second lap around the new 1.7-mile, seven-turn street circuit. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver beat Kyle Kirkwood…

The championship leader rocketed to his seventh P1 starting position of the season in Washington, D.C., flying around the 1.7-mile, seven-turn street course in a mere 56.899s.

The second practice session for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C. was led by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou on Firestone’s fastest tire compound, but Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood nearly matched the time with a lap produced on the harder primary compound.