Fernando Mendoza displayed a few more rookie growing pains in his second preseason showing than his first. 

Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, started and played the entire first half of the Las Vegas Raiders’ second preseason game against the Houston Texans on Thursday. He completed 8-of-15 passes for 86 yards and an interception. 

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans has employed one of the stingiest defensive schemes in recent NFL history, as Houston ranked No. 1 in yards allowed per game in 2025. That unit certainly confused Mendoza early on in the first half.. 

After starting his first drive with a needle-threading throw to Jalen Nailor that converted a second-and-15, Mendoza threw a mindless interception, resulting in a pick-six. He seemingly didn’t spot Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz lurking in the middle of the field, threw it right to him, and gave him the momentum to run the other way for an 80-yard return. 

Mendoza’s pick-six put Las Vegas in a 14-0 hole. 

After receiving a pep talk from veteran defensive end Maxx Crosby, Mendoza bounced back to find running back Dylan Laube out of the backfield for a first down. 

Mendoza then took a hit as he delivered a completion to Connor Heyward. A completion to tight end Ian Thomas set up a 52-yard field goal from Matt Gay. 

Mendoza started the next drive on a bootleg that went to Thomas. He connected with Mike Washington Jr. on a screen pass. He nearly led Las Vegas to another score, but when he targeted Malik Benson on an out route, the pass hit the receiver’s hands and dropped to the ground.

Las Vegas trailed 20-3 at halftime when Mendoza’s day was done. 

After completing 10-of-16 passes for 97 yards and one touchdown in his preseason debut last Thursday against the Arizona Cardinals, Mendoza wasn’t nearly as efficient. Still, he showed the chops to read one of the NFL’s best defenses, and rebound from an early mistake. 

With quarterback Kirk Cousins sitting along with the majority of Las Vegas’ starters, and head coach Klint Kubiak’s declaration, it’s clear Mendoza will fulfill the backup role for the near future. He still has a ways to go to be ready to start in the NFL, but Thursday’s preseason game, full of learning moments, will help him on that journey.  

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The inaugural Freedom 250 is the first race of its kind and could provide a turning point in terms of champions; as driver Àlex Palou is on the brink of a near fourth-consecutive INDYCAR title.

Palou has been the driver to beat this season, clinching wins in the Grand Prix St. Petersburg, Grand Prix of Long Beach, Detroit Grand Prix, Music City Grand Prix in Nashville and most recently the Grand Prix of Portland. 

A win for Palou – and a ninth place or lower finish for Kyle Kirkwood – would solidify Palou’s title. If Palou does not place first, he has three more chances: Milwaukee Mile Race 1 and 2 and the Grand Prix of Monterey.

Following his win at Portland, Palou surged to a 542-point lead, with Kirkwood trailing by 133 points with 409. Ahead of the Freedom 250, Palou has the chance to cement his title win.

Christian Lundgaard joined Thursday’s edition of First Things First to talk about the expectations for Palou ahead of Sunday’s race.

“He has proven well enough by now that he’s not going to crack under pressure. We can try as hard as we want…To catch him it is mathematically possible,” Lundgaard said on First Things First. “He’s probably the best INDYCAR driver the series has seen… He just keeps proving us all wrong.”

While Palou emerges as the favorite to take home his seventh win, it’s hard to look past other talented drivers competing for a victory in Washington D.C.

Kirkwood will be a driver to watch come Sunday. Although his performance at Markham was decent – started 22nd and finished 21st – he still sits in second place. Kirkwood’s last win came in Arlington in March.

Freedom 250 is slated to begin Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, on FOX and the green flag for the main race is expected to wave around 1:13 p.m. ET.

INDYCAR Related Stories

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Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is sticking around for a little longer. Venables signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday, keeping him in Norman all the way through January of 2032.

Venables took over the program after former head coach Lincoln Riley left and went west to become USC’s head coach. Since he’s led the program, the Sooners have compiled a 32-20 overall record and one College Football Playoff appearance. 

Especially since joining the SEC in the 2024 season, Venables has had to navigate the success of jumping from the Big 12 to the SEC. While the Sooners closed out their first SEC campaign 6-7 overall and 2-6 in conference play, they finished last season with a 10-3 overall record.

Last season was the program’s first double-digit winning season under Venables along with posting a 6-2 record in conference play.

(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

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In terms of development off of Venables’ success, athletic director Roger Denny emphasized the importance of keeping Venables in place as head coach.

“Since I arrived at Oklahoma, I’ve had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Coach Venables, his staff and our student-athletes,” said Denny, who started as OU’s AD in February. “It didn’t take long to see how well suited he is to lead Oklahoma Football. Coach Venables is elite at building culture — not just in the locker room, but throughout the entire program. Our players are drawn to him. They trust him, they believe in him and he has a unique ability to connect with young men and bring out the best in them.

 But how does an extra two years help the Sooners in the long run? 

Especially in the evolving landscape that is college football, having a strong foundation in aspects like recruiting is important. While Venable’s background as a defensive coordinator has brought in elite defensive talent, Venables also helped bring in transfer quarterback John Mateer. 

Mateer finished his first season in Norman with 2,885 passing yards, 22 total touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Despite Mateer facing some lingering injuries, he was seen as one of college football’s strongest quarterbacks. 

Defensively, the Sooners went after star safeties Prince Ijioma and Dakoda Fields in the portal to play alongside safety Reggie Powers III. The program also added defensive lineman Patrick Payton, who is coming off a 10.5 sack season with the LSU Tigers.

As the College Football Playoff continues to navigate future formats, having Venables in Norman for the long-haul will be vital to the Sooners establishing dominance in conference play and the postseason. With two 10-win seasons under his belt and his first CFP, Venables has the tools to carry Oklahoma on the same path in the seasons to come. 

The Sooners kick off their 2026 season at home against UTEP on Friday, Sept. 4.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — All coaches have their preferences and quirks, and new Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley has one: He doesn’t like 7-on-7 drills in practice.

They’re great for wide receivers and defensive backs, and some coaches like that it gives the big guys on both lines a period of relative rest, but Hafley, laying out the ground rules for Thursday’s joint practice with the New York Giants, insisted there would be no 7-on-7 work.

“We want to play real football,” he told reporters before practice, “and I want to see if we can block them, if we can pick up the pressures and our protections, if the quarterback can get rid of the ball on time, if the receivers can run the right routes so the ball can get out on time. So it’s going to have to be a team thing.”

It’s a bold move against a talented Giants front — there were plenty of would-be sacks whistled dead Thursday — but if you’re trying to stress the importance of winning the line of scrimmage, the message was appreciated there.

“Absolutely,” said center Aaron Brewer, a second-team All-Pro in a breakout season last year. “I can’t play 7-on-7, so whenever we’re out there and all working, that’s what it’s going to be. I feel like it translates from practice to the game. There are no days in a game where you’re running 7-on-7.”

New Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley has been setting the tone in practice. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

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That’s echoed by defensive tackle Zach Sieler, the longest-tenured Dolphins player, here since 2019 and a leader in a locker room loaded with new arrivals.

“My thing is, how do we play on Sundays? It’s 11-on-11,” he said. “When you put every piece together, that’s how the game is played. You want to put game-like stress in practice, pushing us to the limits on every single play, and that’s something we focus on a lot this year.”

Miami went 7-10 last year, but traded off key players as part of a rebuild that included hiring Hafley and a new general manager in Jon-Eric Sullivan. There are few NFL teams with lower outside expectations than the Dolphins, too. The oddsmakers’ projected win total for the Dolphins is 4.5.

However, you won’t hear Hafley or his players use the low-hanging fruit of the perceived slight to fuel motivation.

“I just believe that if that’s what we’re using to motivate, we’re worried about the wrong things right now,” Hafley said. “That stuff wears off after a while. There’s only so much you can use it, only so much you can care about it. I want the motivation to come from within. I want the motivation to come because the players want to be great and the coaches want to be great, because they don’t want to let their teammates down … if you do that, it will last.”

  Other Observations

• The Giants’ defensive front is intimidating. One look late in practice had Pro Bowler Brian Burns and second-year pro Abdul Carter at edge, with Kayvon Thibodeaux as an interior rusher and rookie linebacker Arvell Reese standing directly over the A-gap as another potential rusher. They’ll miss Dexter Lawrence inside for sure, but they could easily improve on last year’s 39 sacks as a team. They’ll have a chance to show it early, opening the season against last year’s top two teams in total offense, the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams.
• How much does Odell Beckham Jr. have left in the tank? At 33, his last NFL snaps were with the Dolphins in 2024, but he’s back where he started with the Giants. He’s wearing No. 3 now, but the stands were loaded with his old No. 13 on Thursday, and he took time to do selfies and autographs with fans after practice. New York’s top veteran receivers (Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin) combined for just seven touchdown catches last year, so even if he’s used as a red-zone specialist, he can help the group there.
• I’ve been to a dozen or so morning practices in Tampa in the past month, and Miami is so much hotter. The Dolphins have lots of shaded seating for fans at their practice facility and for media as needed. On the sidelines, with only two 10-minute periods where reporters can take video clips of practice, my trusty iPhone didn’t make it. I got the “TEMPERATURE” black screen of death popping up midway through the second period. My trifecta of way-too-hot Florida NFL camps concludes next week with two days of joint practices for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jaguars in Jacksonville, where there’s little relief from the August sun.
• Newly signed Giants running back Najee Harris looked healthy Thursday, showing little sign that he tore his Achilles tendon last year with the Los Angeles Chargers. He signed a league-minimum, non-guaranteed contract, but if he can showcase himself in the next two weeks, the Giants have a tough decision regarding their running back depth. Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy seem safely entrenched as the top two backs, so the odd man out might be Devin Singletary, who already took a major pay cut to stay with the team. In the last eight games last season, he totaled 28 carries for 83 yards, less than three yards a carry, even with Skattebo out with injury.

  Players To Watch

Offensive guard is not a sexy position for a high draft pick, but the Giants and Dolphins both took guards in the top 12, with New York getting Miami (Fla.)’s Francis Mauigoa at No. 10 and Miami getting Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor at 12. Proctor is massive, listed at 6-foot-7 and 360 pounds and already making a strong impression. 

“He’s a big guy. He’s fast, he’s physical, and he’s just a smart young guy,” Brewer said of Proctor. “He buys in and gives his effort, so he’s just a great football player.” 

Miami left tackle Patrick Paul is 6-7 and bigger than the 326 pounds he’s listed at, so Miami could have the largest left side in the NFL.

  Quote Of The Day

“Overall, dominant. I feel like we didn’t play to the standard that I hold us to, or our leaders hold our defense to because coming out as our first joint, trying to be smart, make sure everybody gets taken care of, but at the same time, they’re not our team. So, when you have an opportunity to hit them, you hit them. And you hold them up and they get hit again. 

“We started to do that later on, towards the middle of the day and the rest of the day on. But we had splashes in the beginning, but I wanted to swarm from when we first got out here and it just took a little bit to get going, but I understand it’s our first joint [practice]. But I let it be known, we don’t wait to get punched in the mouth. That didn’t happen, but we don’t wait to get punched in the mouth to fire off on somebody.” 

— Giants edge rusher Brian Burns on his team’s physicality against the Dolphins.

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If Fernando Mendoza felt like he was on top of the world with his standout performance in his preseason debut last week, then the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback received a slice of humble pie on Thursday.

Mendoza’s outing against the Texans highlighted another busy day of news across the NFL. The rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall pick played the entire first half of the Raiders’ win over the Texans, but had his fair share of struggles.

Elsewhere, a San Francisco 49ers star received good news on the injury front, while the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints were disciplined for their several fights at Wednesday’s joint practice.

Here’s what you need to know about what happened around the NFL on Thursday. 

Expectations were high when news broke that No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza would start Thursday night for the Las Vegas Raiders, but the former Indiana Hoosier quickly ran into trouble against the Houston Texans.

Mendoza threw a pick-six on his third pass of the game. Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz jumped his pass over the middle, returning it 80 yards for a score.

It set the tone for a relatively underwhelming night for Mendoza. He completed 8 of 16 passes for 86 yards, leading Las Vegas to just three points as he played the entirety of the first half. 

Aidan O’Connell had better luck against the Texans’ defense. The Raiders’ backup quarterback completed 15 of 24 passes as he led his team to a 22-20 comeback victory, erasing a 20-3 halftime deficit.

There is a real scenario where San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle could return as early as the regular season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Kittle had a visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache that was “encouraging” on Wednesday, as it’s believed he’s ahead of schedule with his recovery from an Achilles tear he suffered in January, ESPN reported. 

Kittle hasn’t been a full participant in 49ers practice yet this training camp. However, he expressed optimism that he could return by the start of the regular season when he met with reporters earlier in the week. 

Despite missing time due to injuries he suffered prior to his Achilles tear, Kittle was efficient for the 49ers last year. In 11 games, he racked up 57 receptions, 628 yards and seven touchdowns. 

Adding Kittle back would be a positive development for San Francisco’s offense and quarterback Brock Purdy. The unit has already lost wide receiver Ricky Pearsall for the entirety of the season, causing them to sign veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel after camp started. 

After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, Joe Burrow is done waiting. The Cincinnati Bengals’ star quarterback made it clear on Thursday that the time for “next year” excuses is over and it’s now or never for a Super Bowl run.

“I’m trying to put it out into the world,” Burrow told reporters. “I’m trying to manifest it. I’m trying to show our guys the urgency that I have and that I want us to have as an organization to go and make it happen.”

Burrow iterated that the urgency starts now for the Bengals. 

“Life is too short to keep pushing things down the road, and I’m trying to instill some urgency and some intensity in everybody to go and be great every day and try to make it happen,” Burrow said.

Despite being limited to just eight games in Cincinnati, Burrow produced impressive numbers. He completed 66.8% of his passes for 1,809 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also threw at least three touchdowns in three of those eight appearances for the Bengals last season.

   Cowboys, Saints Fined

The NFL fined the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints $500,000 each on Thursday following altercations during their joint practice in Oxnard, California.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters that he plans to appeal the fine. But he also expressed remorse over his team’s actions.

“All of that makes it a real focal point of the league to stay within good sport, and the taking of helmets off, swinging and hitting, and that type of thing is not good for anybody, and it’s certainly not what we want to represent to our fans and as a league or as a team,” Jones said.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke about his team’s conduct following the joint practice.

“Not the way we like to do business,” Schottenheimer said. “Got to be better, but I’ve got to look at the film. We’re certainly not going to take s— from anybody.”

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta missed multiple practices this week with a hip injury, putting his status for Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints in doubt. 

Lions head coach Dan Campbell was blunt when asked if LaPorta would be able to go when the regular season starts.

“I don’t know. I feel like we’ll be OK, but I don’t know,” Campbell told reporters. 

“It flared up a little bit, it’s a little aggravated. But we feel good long-term about him. We’ll rest him for a little bit here and letting it calm down,” Campbell added.

LaPorta played nine games in 2025 before a disc injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

Injury News & Notes

• The Houston Texans started quarterback C.J. Stroud against the Las Vegas Raiders. He only played one series, completing 4 of 6 passes for 27 yards and leading Houston to a touchdown. 
• Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken announced that running back Quinshon Judkins was held out of practice Thursday due to a “nagging injury.”
• The San Francisco 49ers withheld both running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Mike Evans from Thursday night’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Quarterback Brock Purdy played, completing 4 of 6 passes for 29 yards.
• New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters that quarterback Geno Smith will play in Friday’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith didn’t play in the Jets’ preseason opener against the Buccaneers

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Friday nights are a major part of the 2026 college football season. The schedule features games from across the FBS, including conference matchups, rivalry games and a full Black Friday slate. FOX’s Friday coverage includes marquee games throughout the season, beginning with Toledo at Michigan State and Fresno State at USC in Week 1.

Here is the complete 2026 Friday college football schedule with dates, kickoff times and TV information. Broadcast details can change during the season, and additional networks and kickoff times will be added as they are announced.

2026 College Football Friday Schedule

All times are Eastern.

Friday, Sept. 4

Friday, Sept. 11

Friday, Sept. 18

Friday, Sept. 25

Friday, Oct. 2

Friday, Oct. 9

Friday, Oct. 16

Friday, Oct. 23

• Duke at Virginia, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• UMass at UConn, 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
• Army at Tulsa, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
• Air Force at Wyoming, 9 p.m. ET (CW)
• NC State at Stanford, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Friday, Oct. 30

Friday, Nov. 6

Friday, Nov. 13

Friday, Nov. 20

Friday, Nov. 27

• Buffalo at Akron, noon ET (TV TBD)
• Mississippi State at Ole Miss, noon ET (ABC)
• Nebraska at Iowa, noon ET (CBS)
• Toledo at Ohio, noon ET (TV TBD)
• Tulsa at UTSA, Time TBD (TV TBD)
• Florida Atlantic at East Carolina, Time TBD (TV TBD)
• Temple at Memphis, Time TBD (TV TBD)
• Tulane at South Florida, Time TBD (TV TBD)
• Appalachian State at South Alabama, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• Florida at Florida State, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
• North Dakota State at San Jose State, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
• Air Force at New Mexico, 4:30 p.m. ET (CW)
• Texas at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
• Minnesota at Wisconsin, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
• West Virginia at Utah, 9 p.m. ET (FOX)

How to Watch College Football on Friday Nights

Friday college football games will air across FOX, FS1, ESPN networks, CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBC, The CW and other channels during the 2026 season. Check the schedule above for the network assigned to each matchup.

FOX and FS1 games are also available with FOX One, which brings FOX college football and more together in one subscription.

Which Friday College Football Games Are on FOX Networks?

FOX’s Friday slate includes Fresno State at USC, Missouri at Kansas, Houston at Texas Tech, Northwestern at Indiana, Penn State at Northwestern, Washington at Purdue, Nebraska at Illinois, Illinois at UCLA, Oregon at Michigan State and West Virginia at Utah. Additional Friday games are scheduled for FS1, including Toledo at Michigan State, Iowa State at UCF and New Mexico at Wyoming. Network assignments remain subject to change.

Are There College Football Games on Black Friday?

Yes. The Friday, Nov. 27 schedule includes rivalry games and conference matchups throughout the day. Featured games include Mississippi State at Ole Miss, Nebraska at Iowa, Florida at Florida State, Texas at Texas A&M, Minnesota at Wisconsin and West Virginia at Utah.

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The 2026 INDYCAR season heads to Washington, D.C., for the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.. The race airs Sunday, Aug. 23 on FOX and FOX One, with practice and qualifying coverage beginning Saturday on FOX Sports networks.

Marcus Ericsson enters the weekend after winning the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham on Aug. 16. Àlex Palou leads the championship standings by 133 points over Kyle Kirkwood with four races remaining. Here is how to watch the Freedom 250, including the start time, TV channel, streaming information and complete weekend schedule.

How to Watch the 2026 INDYCAR Freedom 250

• Date: Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026
• Time: 1 p.m. ET
• TV: FOX
• Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One
• Location: Streets of Washington, Washington, D.C.

Expanded pre-race coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. ET on FOX and FOX One. The race broadcast begins at 1 p.m. ET, with the green flag scheduled for 1:13 p.m. ET. Broadcast times are subject to change.

2026 INDYCAR Freedom 250 Weekend Schedule

All times Eastern.

Saturday, Aug. 22

[–>
• Practice 1: 9 a.m. ET (FS1, FOX One)
• Practice 2: 1 p.m. ET (FS2, FOX One)
• Qualifying: 5 p.m. ET (FS2, FOX One)

Sunday, Aug. 23

• Warmup: 9 a.m. ET (FS1, FOX One)
• Pre-Race Coverage: 11:30 a.m. ET (FOX, FOX One)
• Freedom 250: 1 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX One)

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT

 

Where Is the 2026 INDYCAR Freedom 250?

The Freedom 250 takes place on a temporary street circuit around the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The course runs along Pennsylvania Avenue and passes landmarks including the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument.

The seven-turn circuit is 1.7 miles long. The race is scheduled for 147 laps and approximately 250 miles.

Is This the First INDYCAR Freedom 250?

Yes. The 2026 Freedom 250 is the inaugural INDYCAR race on the Streets of Washington and the first automobile race held on the National Mall. There is no defending race winner.

Who Is Leading the INDYCAR Championship?

Palou enters Round 15 of the 18-race season with 542 points. Kirkwood is second with 409 points, followed by David Malukas with 405, Christian Lundgaard with 403 and Pato O’Ward with 385.

Palou can clinch the championship in Washington only if his lead grows to at least 163 points after the race.

Who Are the Freedom 250 Announcers?

Will Buxton will call the Freedom 250 alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Kevin Lee, Georgia Henneberry, Jack Harvey and Jamie Little will report from pit road.

Chris Myers will host the special pre-race coverage with Helio Castroneves and Danica Patrick beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Who Won the Most Recent INDYCAR Race?

Marcus Ericsson won the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham on Aug. 16. Watch the full highlights from the most recent NTT INDYCAR SERIES race below.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham Highlights INDYCAR on FOX

Check out the best moments from the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham with commentary from Will Buxton, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe!

How Can I Stream the 2026 INDYCAR Freedom 250?

Fans can stream the Freedom 250 and select practice, qualifying and warmup coverage live and watch three days free on FOX One.

Follow the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on FOX Sports for race information and results.

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U.S. CAPITOL AND WHITE HOUSE (Washington) — Scott McLaughlin had never been to Washington, D.C., so he expressed a somewhat simple emotion anticipating his first visit.

“I’m excited to go there,” he told me a week ago.

On his first visit Thursday, like many first-time visitors, he went to the White House. But he was in the White House. In the Rose Garden.

Penske Corporation President Bud Denker, Graham Rahal, Santino Ferrucci, Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou with the Winning Owner’s trophy in front of the US Capitol. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images)

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The Team Penske driver — a native of New Zealand who became a U.S. citizen last year — was among the drivers who presented a racing helmet to First Lady Melania Trump during an event Thursday afternoon.

McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, Graham Rahal and Alexander Rossi made the visit to the White House, while Rahal, Santino Ferrucci, Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward visited the U.S. Capitol grounds and the Cannon House Office Building, the city’s oldest congressional office building.

“I know I’m not from this country, but this country has given me so much. Just the opportunity to be here as a car driver, be a winner and a champion and to create a family here in the U.S.,” four-time (and likely soon-to-be five-time) INDYCAR champion Palou, who is from Spain, said during a news conference.

“So this has been incredible.”

Drivers and executives are exploring Washington D.C. as it prepares to host Sunday’s Freedom 250.

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If the government is going to let you race on their grounds, you’ve got to make the stops before getting to the track for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix this weekend. 

INDYCAR drivers will practice and qualify on Saturday and then race Sunday. In what most likely will be a one-and-done event, the course includes iconic Washington streets like Pennsylvania Avenue, Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue.

“We will have this weekend an amazing, iconic 250-mile Freedom Grand Prix,” Penske Entertainment Corp. Chairman Roger Penske said in speaking at the White House. “And it will cap off 250 years, an anniversary of our country.”

For the most part, the event will bring with it a typical street-course vibe. Some locals don’t love streets being closed. There’s debate about whether it’s bringing in enough tourism dollars to justify the needed local spend. All the while, people are stopping at the course admiring the setup and asking if they can go on the track just to take a photo. For what it’s worth, it seemed that security was accommodating.

But then there are also things that just make the mind explode. 

The start-finish line is across from the U.S. Capitol. The western part of the course has a great view of the Washington Monument. The local metro transportation authority put an INDYCAR show car on a subway rail and shuttled it throughout the system Thursday to remind people the best way to get to the race.

Drivers are hopeful they can put on a good show. The pre-race spectacle includes six flyovers, one for each branch of the military. That is scheduled to begin after the FOX pre-race coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. ET.

INDYCAR’s Freedom 250 will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

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The race is 147 laps around a 1.7-mile (seven-turn) course. President Trump is expected to wave the green flag shortly after 1 p.m. for what could be a three-hour marathon. An executive order from President Donald Trump allowed the race to happen by fast-tracking approvals, permits and any road alterations.

“It’s not one [political] side of the other,” A.J. Foyt Racing driver Santino Ferrucci told me and other reporters Thursday standing in view of the U.S. Capitol. “It’s the nation coming together.”

As part of the White House event, INDYCAR and FOX Sports announced they are jointly donating $2 million to Melania Trump’s “Fostering the Future” initiative to fund scholarships for those who grew up in foster care.

FOX Sports owns 33 percent of INDYCAR.

“Together, we aren’t just creating pathways for these incredible students, we are also making history this weekend,” FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks said during prepared remarks at the White House. “FOX Sports presents a landmark event this weekend with the Freedom 250 INDYCAR Grand Prix, right here in Washington, D.C., racing through the nation’s capital to celebrate our 250th birthday.

“This is going to be a celebration of our great country unlike any other.”

Sunday’s street course will race past some of the nation’s most historic landmarks.

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Drivers don’t get on track until Saturday but most likely will be on the course Friday afternoon during the track walk. That will be the first time many will get to see how the course is laid out versus the models. 

“Other than the [Indianapolis] 500, this is the event that I feel like you want to win, especially with it potentially just being a one-off,” Ferrucci said. “You really want to be able to go home with that trophy because that’s history.”

Rahal will have a stop to make first. He is going to visit Arlington National Cemetery, where his grandfather is buried. 

It will be a solemn moment for Rahal but one that reminds him of what it took for there to be a 250th birthday, a Freedom 250. And he admitted he will take in as much scenery as he can.

“When you get to come to Washington, you’ve got to take the time to soak in all the history that’s here,” Rahal told me Thursday.

“It’s a spectacular place for sure.”

WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT

The inaugural Freedom 250 hits the streets of D.C., on Sunday. Here’s all the details on the one-of-a-kind INDYCAR event.

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Career milestones on the mound. A wild ninth in Cincinnati. The AL West is still just Like That. Thursday’s MLB action provided all that and much more.

Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:

deGrom Reaches 2,000 Ks

Jacob deGrom is a Hall of Fame talent who only managed to throw one season’s worth of innings between 2021-2024, thanks to myriad injuries. In those 197 frames, though, deGrom had a 2.01 ERA, which just about sums up his whole deal. He’s been back and mostly healthy with the Rangers the past two seasons, posting a 2.97 ERA over 172 ⅔ innings a year ago, and is now at 126 ⅔ through 24 starts in 2026, with a 3.77 ERA that’s only disappointing compared to his past. Then you remember deGrom is 38 years old and 3.77 looks pretty great, actually, and even better when you see that, say, his Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) is 3.11.

This is all coming up because the veteran right-hander started on Thursday against the Nationals, and he was vintage deGrom. He also hit a significant milestone by notching his 2,000th career strikeout in the Rangers’ 2-0 win.

deGrom punched out 10 Nats over six innings — at 2,008 for his career, he’s now 93rd all-time in strikeouts — and allowed just two baserunners, one on a walk and another a hit. He was nigh unhittable, but he did get a little bit of help from center fielder Evan Carter, too.

Shortstop Corey Seager — who has looked a lot more like Corey Seager since his return from an IL stint for back inflammation — drove in the first run for Texas with his 13th homer of the year, and that ended up being all it needed.

Seager is batting .328/.388/.541 with three homers and four doubles in the 17 games since his return, and while you can cry “small sample size!” there, remember that his back made him look unable to do anything at the plate for weeks before he finally went on the IL. He’s looking good again, and the Rangers need him to, given that Texas is tied for the last wild-card in the AL and a game back in the extremely winnable AL West.

The Astros Were Netoed

One reason the AL West remains up for grabs is because whichever team ends up on top of it tends to fail to hold onto the position for very long. The Astros built up a three-game lead while sitting a season-high three games over .500 one week ago, and are now back at .500 and barely clinging to the top after the Angels — the 51-77 Los Angeles Angels — beat Houston by a couple of touchdowns and then some on Thursday.

Shortstop Zach Neto had a whole lot to do with that crooked number. He struck first with an RBI single in the top of the first…

…and while Houston put up two runs in the bottom of the frame, that would be its only lead of the night. By the time Neto happened again, Los Angeles was already up 5-2. He drove in another run with a single in the fourth to make it 6-2, then in the fifth — with the lead now 11-2 — he blasted his 21st homer of the year 428 feet to center, with an exit velocity of nearly 108 mph.

Neto wasn’t done, and neither were the Angels. In the seventh, his 25th double of the season drove in another two runs to make it 16-2, then in the ninth third baseman Denzer Guzman hit a two-run dinger to make it 18-2.

Houston got one back in the ninth so we didn’t have to consider a safety in the final score, and also to, poetically, make it so the first three teams in the AL West all woke up this morning with a run differential of -46.

Kirby’s Nightmare In AmFam

Speaking of AL West teams getting outscored, the Mariners faced the Brewers to close out that series. Which, despite losing the opener 22-0, Seattle had a chance to win with a W on Thursday. It was not to be: whether Mariners’ starter George Kirby was tipping pitches or just did not have It in the first inning, the result was the same. The Brewers scored seven runs on Thursday, and six of them were in the first off Kirby.

Second baseman Brice Turang led off with a single with an exit velocity of 101.8 mph. First baseman Jake Bauers drew a walk after a 376-foot fly out by left fielder Jackson Chourio. Then catcher Gary Sánchez doubled in a pair to open the scoring.

DH Christian Yelich singled on a 211-foot line drive, then shortstop Joey Ortiz smoked another single nearly 105 mph off the bat to make it 3-0.

Center fielder Garrett Mitchell then hit a double even harder, with an exit velocity of 108.3 mph, to make it 5-0, and that was followed by another double, this off the bat of third baseman David Hamilton.

Even the outs were loud: rookie outfielder Luis Lara made the second one on a 99.9 mph line out to center, and Turang came back up again and struck a ball 105.5 mph but for the third out. Kirby settled down, sort of, but the damage was done: he lasted 3 ⅓ innings allowing those six runs, nine hits, two walks and all against three strikeouts. The Mariners’ bullpen held Milwaukee scoreless until Mitchell struck again…

…and the offense couldn’t fully catch up. The Brewers would win their MLB-leading 79th game, while Seattle fell to 60-68, three games back in the AL wild-card race and looking up at another eight teams, but also just four games back in the West.

The Cardinals Were Down To Their Last Out, And Then…

The Reds can’t afford to lose winnable games — that’s just the nature of the task ahead of Cincinnati in the race for the final wild-card spot in the NL. The Cardinals aren’t much better off, so something had to give here in a game the Reds were winning 5-4 in the ninth with the Cards threatening to score… and it was Cincinnati. You can’t get closer to winning a ballgame and then not winning it than this.

Center fielder Dane Myers didn’t make the catch, as the ball bounced right out of his glove while he was battling the sun, and that let rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt drive in the game-tying and go-ahead runs. And then St. Louis kept scoring. First baseman Alec Burleson made it 7-5 with a single to score Wetherholt…

…left fielder Joshua Báez walked with the bases loaded to make it 8-5, and then left fielder José Fermín, who had entered as a pinch-hitter earlier, drove in two more to make it a six-run ninth.

That might have seemed like overkill, but then the Reds dropped four runs in the ninth on George Soriano: St. Louis won this by a single run, 10-9. What a wild game, and now the Cardinals sit 2.5 back of that last wild-card, while the Reds are seven behind.

Williams Whiffs Guardians To W

While we’re on the subject of teams trying to hang on, the Guardians downed the Giants on Thursday. Starting pitcher Gavin Williams got five runs of support, but he also didn’t need quite that many: in 5 ⅔ innings, the 6-foot-6 right-hander struck out 11 batters and allowed two runs on four hits. The penultimate K was his 200th of the season — Williams leads the AL with 201 punchouts — and this marked his ninth double-digit strikeout game of the season in 26 starts.

Cleveland sits one game back in a very crowded AL wild-card race for the last spot: while the Yankees and Red Sox have 9.5 and 5.5-game leads over the rabble, respectively, five teams are within three games of the tied Twins and Rangers for the third wild-card, and the Guardians are just one behind.

What A Throw!

The Blue Jays are one of those teams right there in the wild-card race, sitting half-a-game back of Minnesota and Texas. Toronto managed to win against the AL East-leading Rays on Thursday, 5-1, behind one of the strongest starts of the season for former Cy Young winner, Shane Bieber: he went seven innings with one run allowed while striking out seven against four baserunners, all via hit. 

Still, the most captivating highlight from the game from an objective point of view was this throw by Rays’ catcher Nick Fortes. Check this thing out.

The speed! The accuracy! Not much else went right for Tampa Bay on Thursday, though, but Toronto needed that dub more than the Rays did, anyway.

RIP That Glove

Bobby Witt Jr.’s arm is just too strong, and now we have proof.

The Royals swept the Athletics in a four-game series in a battle of who wants to avoid having the American League’s worst record.

Yankees Finish 4-Game Sweep

Another four-game sweep wrapped up on Thursday, and that was the Yankees over the Orioles. This one has much broader implications: the Orioles began the week holding the last AL wild-card spot, but after New York beat them down Baltimore sits two games back.

Take a moment to appreciate that Gerrit Cole, despite joining the Yankees in 2021 and missing half of 2024 and all of 2025, logged his 1,015th strikeout in pinstripes on Thursday, passing Roger Clemens for 12th-most in Yankees’ history.

Cole will be in 11th before much longer, as he’s 13 shy of Al Downing, and should enter the top-10 next season — he’s 148 behind the current No. 10, Bob Shawkey. Cole is already the Yankees’ all-time leader in strikeouts per nine with 10.7, and he’s not turning 36 until next month: he can make it quite a ways up that list before he hangs ‘em up.

New York didn’t need Cole at his best here, as it scored six runs against Baltimore, but the veteran righty held the O’s to a single run on top of the notable achievement. Trade deadline acquisition Luis García Jr. went 3-for-4 with an RBI, two runs and a dinger, his second with New York.

The Yankees haven’t knocked the Orioles out of contention by any means, but the winds do feel like they’re blowing a little differently on Friday morning than they were on Monday, is all.

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In Driver’s Eye with James Hinchcliffe, the six-time INDYCAR winner will bring you inside the mind of a racer while breaking down the nuts and bolts of the sport for fans.

After a late arrival on the schedule, a myriad of complex logistical hurdles and an unprecedented (but totally justified) amount of promotion and hype, we are finally here: INDYCAR’s Freedom 250.

For many people, being able to attend an Indianapolis 500 — or indeed any INDYCAR race — could be a once-in-a-lifetime proposition. We in the industry often forget how lucky we are to get to go to the race track for a living. But even those of us who live and breathe motorsports will be in for a once-in-a-lifetime event this weekend.

This is shaping up to truly be one of the most exceptional events in the long and storied history of INDYCAR for a number of reasons. 

(Photo by Mehmet Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Let’s start with the setting. Having a race track built in D.C., around the National Mall no less, is certainly not something many people thought they would see in their lifetime. 

To build a track, you have to meet certain prerequisites, and — by a bit of luck and a lot of hard work from a lot of people, both on the D.C. side and the INDYCAR/Penske Entertainment side — all boxes were checked.

The backdrop will be unmatched and the visuals will be stunning, as Indy cars flash by some of the nation’s most recognizable monuments and buildings in a 180-mile-an-hour blur. The challenge for the drivers will be equally monumental.

We’ve already had two brand-new street circuits this season, so the idea of it all seems old hat by now. 

(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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But with D.C., things are a little different. Unlike the streets of Arlington, Texas, and Markham, Ontario, D.C. has not been laser scanned to make an accurate track model for the sim. There is a track model, but it’s based off a 2-D CAD drawing and is nowhere near as accurate.

Furthermore, teams don’t have exact info on surface conditions or grip levels, so it’s all a bit of a guess. When speaking with Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood on my podcast, “Off Track with Hinch and Rossi,” this week ahead of the race, he said that the pre-race simulations are predicting a lap time of somewhere between 53 and 60 seconds. A seven-second spread! That would be like the difference between a lap in an Indy car and one in an Indy NXT car!

So needless to say, drivers are coming in with even more unknowns than they had for either Arlington or Markham.

That said, having had the recent experience of Markham under their belts, the engineers especially will be looking back at what worked and what didn’t on another newly designed, freshly paved circuit. 

But they can’t simply cut and paste setups because the layout of the D.C. course is comprised of several more 90-degree, slower-minimum-speed-type corners than Markham. This means there will be a huge emphasis on longitudinal grip — straight line braking and traction — and less on higher-speed lateral grip.

FREEDOM 250: WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR INDYCAR DRIVERS

On paper, D.C.’s 1.7-mile circuit looks like more of a traditional street course than what we saw last week. Think a little more Detroit-ish in nature. But tuning the car is only half the battle. You need to make sure your driver is ready to go, too.

(Render courtesy of INDYCAR)

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Firstly, you have to cover the mental state of your driver. We are in the last few rounds of the season, and if your year hasn’t gone well, the desperation level climbs each weekend. 

For drivers that haven’t won a race yet this year, time is running out, and bigger risks need to be taken.

Likewise for drivers who aren’t just thinking about getting a W on the board for this year but don’t have a contract in place for next season. Every race, every session, every lap of a weekend is part of the job interview that could make our break the next step in your career.

And let’s not forget about the magnitude of this race. 

Penske Corporation President Bud Denker, Graham Rahal, Santino Ferrucci, Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou with the Winning Owner’s trophy in front of the US Capitol. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images)

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No, it’s not the Indy 500, but if you thought the list of Indy 500 winners was an elite one, the winner of the Freedom 250 will stand alone. One of one. The only driver to conquer the U.S. capital.

D.C. doesn’t have the racing history that Indy does, so it will never mean quite as much to drivers. But there is something undeniably cool about being the only driver to have won such a prestigious event. And it will be prestigious!

Not only will there be 100,000 fans observing trackside from the ticket lottery, there are also tons of hospitality suites occupied by some of the biggest companies on Earth, and many of the country’s most powerful people will be in attendance. They will say, “I remember when…” And they will remember who won that race.

Not going to lie, that’s pretty cool!

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FAST: WASHINGTON, D.C.

So, once you make sure to keep your driver’s head in the game, you’ve gotta hope their body is up to the task. 

Street courses are physical, but not in the way a Barber or Mid-Ohio is, with the long, fast corners that place the driver under high G-loads. They are physical because the bumps and surface changes send so much feedback through the steering wheel that it feels like it’s going to rip out of your hands. So you are death-gripping the wheel all day long.

And in D.C., the day will be long. Very long…

In an attempt to make the distance match the name, a handful of laps were added to make the official race distance 250 miles. That means we are going to be racing for 147 laps.

Freedom 250 course map. (INDYCAR)

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Let me put that into perspective. 

St. Petersburg is one of the longest races of the year out side of the Indy 500. And it’s also hot and humid with a bumpy street track. Makes it a real physical test. That track is about 1.8 miles, and we race there for 100 laps. Even all green, it’s a nearly two-hour race. Throw in a few cautions and you’re looking at two-plus. That’s a long time strapped into a race car in the heat and humidity.

The D.C. track is 1.7 miles long. And remember, we’re doing 147 laps. In a very humid city barely above sea level.

Even all green, this is set to be a marathon-type race for the drivers. And if what we saw in Markham is any indication, the combination of a new track, a big event and some late-season desperation kicking in means the likelihood of an all green race is slim to none. 

(Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty Images)

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This will be a different type of physical challenge for drivers, maintaining their cool in composure in an environment where even misjudging an inch or two could fire you into the wall.

1 FOR THE ROAD

I will leave you with one final thought: This weekend is going to be memorable. This is going to be a mini Indy 500. 

And as such, we at FOX have put together a monumental pre-race show, and if I am being totally honest, I am about as excited about that as I am for the race! Knowing what’s coming down the pipeline has got me telling everybody that as much as this race has the potential to be one for the books, don’t sleep on the pre-race show!

It kicks off at 11:30am ET for 90 minutes to set the biggest street circuit stage that the sport has ever seen. And you are not going to want to miss it!

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