Washington (United States) (AFP) - US President Donald Trump rode a ceremonial lap in his armored limousine and waved the green flag to start Sunday’s IndyCar race through the streets of Washington, capping celebrations of America’s 250th birthday.

Trump, who created the Freedom 250 Grand Prix by executive order for the United States anniversary commemoration, had a prime view of the spectacle as open-wheel cars roared past iconic landmarks at speeds up to 185 mph (298 km/h).

“It has turned out to be bigger than we ever thought possible,” Trump told race telecaster Fox. “The track is wonderful. I want everyone to be safe and the people to have a good time.”

American Kyle Kirkwood won his seventh career IndyCar race, his sixth on a street course, beating Denmark’s Christian Lundgaard by 3.09 seconds with Australian Will Power third and Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson fourth.

“You can’t even put it into words. This is incredible,” Kirkwood said. “I’m almost in tears. This is a big moment for us. A big moment for America.”

Trump greeted IndyCar series owner Roger Penske, 89, and the seven Indianapolis 500 winners in the field of 25 before the 147-lap event began, telling the racers, “Good luck, do well, have fun.”

“Roger told me they had been trying to do it for 20 years and when Trump came along they got it done,” the 80-year-old president said.

- ‘Big fan’ -

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were inside his armored limousine known as “The Beast” as the vehicle and his motorcade slowly took a lap around the 1.7-mile layout, which weaved around such landmarks as the Washington Monument, US Capitol, National Archives and museums such as the National Gallery of Art.

“The president wanted to do this. He’s a big fan. We wanted to be part of the 250th anniversary,” Penske said.

“This is really a by-product of our team trying to take it to the next level. This is an iconic race.”

Flyovers were next, including ones by a stealth bomber and Air Force One, and air traffic was paused at nearby Reagan National Airport due to the race.

Trump then waved the green flag at the start-finish line in front of the US Capitol building to begin the 250-mile race.

“The 100,000 people who will be coming here today, they care about the country,” Penske said. “They are excited to see us racing here.”

Trump has taken major roles in other events to celebrate the anniversary of the July 4, 1776, signing of the Declaration of Independence – housed inside the course at the National Archives – marking the split of 13 original American colonies from Britain.

Among the activities was an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout in a huge cage on the White House lawn in June.

New Zealand’s Scott McLaughlin crashed into a tire barrier on a restart with 19 laps remaining while trying to pass leader Kirkwood, who sped away on the next restart with 13 laps to go and led to the finish, spinning his tires at the finish line after a victory lap.

“It was a hard race,” Kirkwood said. “It felt good to dominate out there. I don’t know if we’re ever going to have another chance, I hope we do, but this was awesome. A dream come true.”

- ‘It’s a spectacle’ -

Spanish pole-sitter Alex Palou, a six-time winner this year, was overtaken by Kirkwood and had a penalty, poor tire change and crash on his way to finishing 20th, dooming his bid to clinch a fourth consecutive season title in Washington.

IndyCar and Penske Racing are paying much of the $35 million cost to stage the race, supported by sponsors of a series best known for the Indianapolis 500 oval classic.

Mario Andretti, the 86-year-old US racing legend whose 1969 Indy 500-winning car is in the Smithsonian, was impressed.

“Fabulous to be here. This event is really amazing,” Andretti said. “Can’t be any better than this.”

It figures to be a once-in-a-lifetime extravaganza.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever drive IndyCars around the nation’s capital again, so the fact we’re doing it is a spectacle,” US racer Josef Newgarden said. “This feels like the Indy 500.”

Penske said IndyCar would consider returning.

“Never say no. We’ll talk about it,” Penske said. “We’ll have to meet next week and figure out where we’re going next.”

US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum likes the idea, saying, “This is a really positive thing. Everybody I’ve met is saying ‘Please do this again next year.’”