Rocket escorted Deirdre to the start of the festivities downtown.

You can see the weather-guessers getting up to their tricks today, with the possibility of thunderstorms and showers adding a little excitement to the prospect of running at something approaching 180 MPH on Pennsylvania Avenue.

They were out for the first practice laps at 9:00 this morning, with another practice session at 1:00 and qualifying scheduled for Happy Hour at 5:00. We will see what a few afternoon sprinkles—or something more energetic—can do to Constitution Avenue.

This is already a dynamite sporting event, and one that may not come around very often. It is the fifteenth race of the 2026 INDYCAR season. Tomorrow’s Freedom 250 will run 147 laps around the 1.7-mile street circuit, producing almost exactly the promised 250 miles. The original schedule called for 125 laps, but apparently somebody eventually did the arithmetic.

Rocket and Deirdre went early and said they would text us if any show-stoppers came up.

They also said that if the rain really settles in, they might take Rocket’s GLK350 down toward Culpeper. That is where the Chairman once attempted to establish a refuge from the civic swamp on a pleasant little horse property. It could accommodate short-term lodging for a dozen or more, assuming nobody objected to racks in the bunk room off the stable.

Splash and Vic said they would keep their eyes open across the River this afternoon.

Unless it rains.

Neither Rocket nor Deirdre seemed particularly concerned about that possibility. There was some mention of tomorrow’s County meeting about data-center construction, although whether we will see either of them there remains an open question.

Nobody at the Conference Table questioned the apparent collusion.

We have all spent years in strange communal situations in which one of the basic rules was that personal stuff remained personal. Different people have the watch.

In the meantime, sleek fast cars are pacing the avenues of the Nation’s Capital with joyful noise.

And somewhere downtown, Rocket remembered to bring the umbrellas.

Copyright 2026 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com