IndyCar will make history this Aug. 23 when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES takes to the streets of the U.S. capital for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., a first-of-its-kind race winding around the National Mall to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday. With the U.S. Capitol and other iconic landmarks providing the backdrop, SMT will deliver the full suite of race technology it provides for FOX Sports’ IndyCar telecasts.

SMT will deliver real-time data and telemetry, GPS vehicle tracking, 3D and optical pointers, Ghost Car broadcast analytics, live scoring and track visualization. For the Freedom 250, SMT will also introduce a new capability designed specifically for the unique D.C. circuit: optical pointers identifying landmark buildings, monuments and memorials throughout the course.

“The Freedom 250 is a historic moment for our sport, and we wanted a broadcast that matched the scale of it,” said Michael Davies, EVP, technical and field operations, FOX Sports. “Working with SMT to bring landmark pointers and Ghost Car Live to a street race through the heart of Washington gives our viewers a completely new way to experience IndyCar.”

The Freedom 250 represents a unique challenge for a live sports broadcast. Unlike traditional permanent circuits, the temporary street course will wind through the nation’s capital, with buildings and other structures creating sightline challenges for tracking the cars from above. FOX Sports plans to deploy cameras from a National Park Service helicopter and the top level of the Washington Monument, among other potential aerial positions, giving viewers perspectives of the race from above.

SMT’s technology will complement those aerial views with the real-time data and visual tools needed to identify, track and explain the action.

“For the second year of FOX’s new era of IndyCar coverage, SMT was presented with an opportunity to push storytelling and visualization further than ever before with the Freedom 250,” said Paulus Weemaes, Director, Motorsports at SMT. “From Ghost Car Live to expanded telemetry graphics and virtual race enhancements, our goal is to make the speed, strategy and precision of the historic road race more accessible and engaging for every fan.”

SMT’s RACEf/x platform will deliver 3D pointer graphics with combined feeds from FOX’s instrumented cameras to SMT GPS vector units and IndyCar telemetry to precisely track vehicles and deliver real-time on-screen visualization.

ISO Track Pointers will provide optical-based tracking for both in-car and aerial perspectives, while the new landmark pointers will help orient viewers within the street circuit by identifying recognizable buildings, monuments and memorials as the race unfolds.

SMT will also deploy Ghost Car, integrating data and telemetry to virtually highlight replays and compare driver performance. As part of the broadcast, Ghost Car Live will enable a “Mario Kart”-style visualization, virtually inserting the pole car into the live in-car feed of another qualifying driver to provide an immediate visual comparison of speed and performance.

SMT’s technology will extend beyond visualization, powering FOX Sports’ live scoring graphics and FOX Box, while SMT’s GPS hardware will track every car throughout the event.

SMT will also provide the live wind-graphic trackmap, giving viewers a real-time look at wind conditions around the circuit, a variable that can play a critical role in a street race.

Bringing the race to the fans

SMT’s support will extend beyond the television broadcast. SMT will also power graphics displayed on the video boards positioned alongside the circuit, providing spectators with real-time race information to enhance the in-person experience.

Behind the scenes, SMT will deploy on-site operators, including an engineer-in-charge, field technicians, technical production manager and associate producer. The team will manage the four registered cameras, including panhead and stick installations, AFC and cabling, and the technical infrastructure supporting the race technology. An additional SMT operator will work from the FOX/IMS graphics truck to manage the live scoring stream feeding the FOX Box.

The Freedom 250 comes during a period of significant growth for IndyCar on FOX. Through the first 13 races of the 2026 season, IndyCar NICS on FOX and FS1 is averaging 1.799 million viewers per race, up 16% from the first 13 races of 2025 (1.545 million) and 52% from the comparable period in 2024 (1.185 million), when the series aired across NBC, USA and CNBC. The 2026 season is also delivering IndyCar’s best start to a season since 2008.

As IndyCar brings its biggest stage to the nation’s capital, SMT will help FOX translate the unique challenges of a street race into a broadcast experience that gives fans a clearer view of the competition.

With a legacy of motorsports innovation dating back to 1992, SMT continues to develop technology for the world’s most iconic open-wheel racing events.

About SMT

SMT is a leading innovator and supplier of real-time data delivery and graphics solutions for the sports and entertainment industries. With headquarters in Durham, N.C., and divisions across North America and Europe, SMT provides innovative storytelling tools to enhance live sports and entertainment productions. From scoring and statistics to virtual insertion and messaging, SMT’s technology has been used to enhance some of the world’s most prestigious events, earning the company 38 Emmy Awards for excellence in broadcasting.

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