Christian Lundgaard secured an impressive second-place finish at the inaugural Freedom 250 in Washington, coming home behind race winner Kyle Kirkwood after a long and demanding afternoon on the streets of the American capital. He had started down in 9th but good pace allowed him to cut through.
The Danish driver admitted that his result may have been better than expected heading into the event, but his focus quickly turned towards the final three races of the season and the championship battle still ahead
With Kirkwood gaining ground in the standings following his victory, Lundgaard knows there is still plenty to fight for.
“Yeah, what an experience all weekend. The best background I’ve ever had on a racetrack obviously. Just being a part of it, seeing where the series is going, being a part of it.
“Obviously the race was long. I think we got a batter result than expected. We got three more races to go.”
A strong result for Lundgaard in the championship battle
Lundgaard arrived in Washington with plenty still to play for in the championship. Although the multi-time race winner was able to strengthen his own position in the standings, other championship rivals experienced more difficult afternoons, with O’Ward, Palou and Malukas having poor fays.
Lundgaard was quick to joke about the changing fortunes around him, but also recognized that avoiding those kinds of weekends will be crucial over the remaining rounds.
“I think I’m just happy to see Alex not win for once.
“Obviously Kyle and I were second and fourth in the championship going into this weekend. Alex and David had some unfortunate luck out there. But those are days that we need to not have for the rest of the season.
“I’m definitely pushing for that second. Kyle made that a little tougher for me today.”
The second-place finish will nevertheless give Lundgaard momentum heading into the final stretch of the season. With just three races remaining, consistency will become increasingly crucial as the championship picture continues to develop.
Unable to reel in Kirkwood
While Lungaard finished as Kirkwood’s closest challenger, he admitted that he was unable to consistently match the pace of the Andretti driver across the race.
There were moments where Lundgaard felt he had the speed to challenge for the lead, but Kirkwood’s overall pace meant the Danish driver had to settle for second.
“Yeah, I feel like I had just a couple laps where I was faster than him, and then I know the 12 laps where he was faster than me, so…”
That did little to take away from what was still an impressive result around a brand-new street circuit. The race in Washington presented drivers with a unique challenge, combining the physical demands of a long race with the added difficulty of learning a new and bumpy track.
Lundgaard was among the drivers who had to manage those demands throughout the afternoon.
A demanding challenge around the streets of DC
The physicality of the new circuit was one of the major talking points of the weekend, with the bumps providing an additional challenge for the drivers.
While Lundgaard did not believe the track was necessarily difficult because of the bumps in the corners, he explained that several areas of the circuit still required drivers to remain alert.
“I mean, it still is bumpy. Still is bumpy.
“I feel like most of the bumps are either when you’re going straight or in the brake zones. It’s not so much really in the apex, except for turn four, which is also the slowest corner on the track.”
Despite those challenges, Lundgaard had little criticism of either circuit or the racing. When asked abut the overall racing product and whether he would like to return to Washington DC, his answer was straightforward.
“Yeah, I don’t think there is any complaints.
“Absolutely.”
Lungaard impressed by the magnitude of Washington
For Lundgaard, however, the biggest takeaway from the weekend may have been the scale of the event itself.
The race in Washington represented a major new addition to the IndyCar calendar, and the Danish driver was clearly impressed by both the atmosphere surrounding the race and what it represented for the future of the series.
He even compared the magnitude of the event to IndyCar’s biggest race.
“It’s actually funny, we were in the back of the truck and we were talking about it. I feel like this is a good contender to the Indy 500.
“I think overall this is just a testament to where the series is going.”
Lundgaard also joked that the contrast between the spectacle in Washington and the following weekend’s race at Milwaukee could be difficult to ignore.
“I think Milwaukee to some extent is going to feel a little boring next week. Just so different. Obviously, it’s a different type of track, it’s a different event.
“Nothing’s like DC. But I think we did very well for the first time.”
A second-place finish may have not given Lundgaard the victory, but his performance ensured that he remains a key figure in the championship battle while leaving Washington with a strong result.
More importantly, the Danish driver leaves the weekend believing that IndyCar has found something special in Washington. With three races still remaining in the season, however, Lundgaard will have little time to reflect on the spectacle before his attention turns toward the next challenge and the fight for second in the championship.
