Attorney General Todd Blanche lauded the Trump administration’s efforts to decrease crime in Washington, D.C., ahead of the IndyCar Grand Prix race Sunday afternoon.

“What you’re seeing today — a celebration of America’s 250th birthday. You saw it July 4. You’ve seen it with the Great Fair on the Mall, and it’s going off without any major security incidents, and we’re going to make sure that that stays the case, and that’s the goal,” Blance said Sunday morning in an interview with Fox News.

Blanche, who was recently confirmed by Congress, also mentioned President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to the streets of D.C. last summer, saying, “We are seeing enormous improvements in every single category of crime.”

The course layout for the Freedom 250 IndyCar runs through the heart of Washington, D.C., and will take drivers past several historic institutions.

The longest straight on the course will run up Pennsylvania Avenue, then take drivers past the National Gallery of Art, which has added reinforcements to protect its work from the vibrations caused by the race.

Drivers will also pass the Canadian Embassy, the Federal Trade Commission, the National Archives, the National Mall as well as the National Air and Space Museum.

During the race, drivers will loop around the course 147 times, totaling in about 250 miles.

The Federal Aviation Administration is pausing flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for several hours today as the nation’s capital celebrates the Freedom 250 Grand Prix with flyovers and other events.

Between at least 10:15 a.m. ET and 1:15 p.m. ET, flights will be paused. That is subject to change.

The FAA is asking travelers to check their flight status with their airlines.

Even for experienced IndyCar drivers, competing on a circuit set against the backdrop of the U.S. Capitol proves remarkable.

“We get to race at a lot of cool cities, but this one is by far the best that we’ve ever had, and I can say that very truthfully,” Kyle Kirkwood noted on Friday. “Going by the Capitol building, the views here, all the architecture of all the buildings around here, all the museums, it’s stuff that you dream of.

“It’s a serious honor and privilege,” Kirkwood said.

“As a boy from the Netherlands that just got his green card, it is really cool,” said Rinus VeeKay, who has six top-10 finishes this season. “We didn’t get too much U.S. history in school … but learning so much about it here, seeing all the monuments and museums and just how every building kind of has a special purpose here around the city, is very cool. Getting to see the White House, this is stuff you see in movies.”

Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren Racing, said he hopes the Freedom 250 Grand Prix delivers lasting commercial success to IndyCar.

“This is, I mean, it’s a massive event for IndyCar commercially,” Brown told FOX Sports, according to Motorsport

“I think this is going to bring a lot of awareness to IndyCar for new fans. And I think when they tune in, they’re going to love it. The amount of executives we have here is phenomenal, so I’m already hoping there’s a year two, but I guess let’s get through year one first.”

Alex Palou, one of the drivers competing in the Freedom 250 IndyCar qualifiers, described the D.C. track as “super fun” but “very bumpy.”

“It’s very bumpy. There’s some big bumps right here and there but super fun,” Palou told FOX Saturday after several practice rounds.

Palou said the largest bumps were headed on turn two and turn six.

Louis Foster, another driver, lost control of his car briefly after hitting a bump on turn six. His car hit one of the walls, damaging the front of the car.