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IndyCar Driver Torches Dem Lawmaker Over Trump Race Taxpayer Swipe

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Photo Credit: "Verizon Indycar Weekend" by Jim Bauer is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/?ref=openverse.

IndyCar veteran Graham Rahal turned Sen. Adam Schiff’s taxpayer complaint against President Donald Trump into a funding fact-check after the California Democrat accused Trump of using public money for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.

Rahal, who placed 13th in the Washington race, told Schiff on X that the event was privately financed and brought thousands of visitors into the capital.

“No, no, Adam,” Rahal wrote. “He wanted you to notice and bask in the pride of being American, watch great racing and patriotism on display.”

Schiff had posted video of Trump waving the green flag as FOX Sports announcer Leigh Diffey launched the race, using the moment to accuse the president of staging a distraction while Americans deal with higher costs.

“While you struggle with the cost of gas, Trump offers you the spectacle of an IndyCar race hoping you will not notice,” Schiff wrote.

He also claimed taxpayers were being made to fund Trump’s image-building.

“More taxpayer money spent on his self-aggrandizing distractions. And you get higher taxes and higher costs,” Schiff wrote.

Rahal’s response went straight at that charge. “Not only that, this was privately funded, not government although it drove thousands of folks to the DC area that have never been. That’s economic impact for you,” Rahal wrote.

The same point came from Penske President Bud Denker when Washington’s NBC affiliate asked him at the track who was footing the bill for the multimillion-dollar event. “We are,” Denker said.

Penske Corporation, run by Roger Penske, covered most of the Freedom250. The automotive and logistics company is based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Reading, Pennsylvania, and Penske also owns Team Penske, which fields drivers in NASCAR and IndyCar.

Denker told the NBC station that sponsor revenue from suites along the course would offset only part of the cost, and that the race was not set up as a break-even project.

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“When I say vast, the only part we’re not paying is, we’re raising some revenue by having sponsors with the suites I’m building [along the course],” Denker said.

There was still a public-safety cost attached to the event. Local and federal law enforcement handled security, including through federal funding Washington receives for major events, the NBC station reported.

The White House used Schiff’s post to attack the Democrat personally.

“It’s a complete disgrace that Pencil-Neck Adam Schiff is willing to trash the United States of America during its historic 250th birthday celebrations simply because he hates President Trump,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said.

“The great people of California deserve better,” Ingle added.

Trump’s own role at the race gave Schiff the video for his attack and gave Rahal the patriotic moment he defended.

Before the cars hit the streets near the National Mall, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump rode the opening lap in the presidential limousine.

Trump later stood with the first lady and waved the green flag.

In an interview with Fox Sports’ Jamie Little before the race, Trump credited Roger Penske for pushing to bring IndyCar to Washington for years.

“Well, Roger told me they’ve been trying to do it for 20 years and he’d come down—I think he said he was down 211 times—to try and get it done,” Trump remarked. “And when he came to see Trump, it got done in about 15 minutes.”

Trump said turnout blew past expectations, with bridges closed because so many people wanted to attend.

“And it’s turned out to be much bigger than we ever even thought possible,” he said. “They actually closed the bridges… so many people wanna come.”

The president estimated that 300,000 to 350,000 people came to Washington for the Grand Prix.

Asked what he wanted most from his first IndyCar race, Trump said he wanted the drivers and fans to enjoy it safely.

“Just that everyone’s safe and they have a good time,” Trump said. “I want everyone to be safe. I want everyone to have a good time.”

He said his message to the drivers was, “Good luck, have fun.”

Rahal said the crowd was not confined to Trump’s political base.

“And guess what, hundreds of thousands of Americans, blue & red, as well as fans from all over the world loved the Freedom250,” Rahal wrote.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also connected the race to Washington’s economy after he and Trump realized they were on television during the broadcast and waved at the camera.

“This is the perfect time to do this. Congress is on recess, the economic development of D.C., the people here all love this idea,” Burgum said on Fox News.

Kyle Kirkwood won the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, finishing four seconds ahead of Denmark native Christian Lundgaard while averaging 93.2 mph.

The win was Kirkwood’s seventh career IndyCar victory and his sixth on a street course. It also gave him 40 IndyCar Series points on leader Álex Palou, who struggled in Washington and finished 20th out of 25.

Kirkwood, who lives in Jupiter, Florida, pointed toward the area where Trump was watching and said Washington was a special place to win.

“I’m a fellow Florida guy, I live up in Jupiter,” Kirkwood commented. “It’s cool to see him down here. And what a place to do it. If you can’t win the Indy 500, this is definitely the place to win.”

Kirkwood noted that the race carried extra weight because Trump was watching him cross the line.

“I won the race, I get out of the car, I see President Trump sitting there cheering me on,” Kirkwood said. “As a proud American… that’s a pretty big deal to have the president cheering you on. Nothing else like it.”

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