Here are 5 drivers to keep an eye on as IndyCar hits the streets of Washington for Freedom 250 Grand Prix

Teams load in and prepare their cars ahead of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix weekend on the streets of Washington, DC.

The NTT IndyCar Series is set to hit the streets of Washington, D.C., for a once-in-a-lifetime racing spectacle to celebrate the United States' 250th anniversary.

There will be a lot of eyes on this race, with more than a few of them tuning into IndyCar for the first time since the Indianapolis 500, or maybe even ever.

No shame if that's you (although, seriously, you're missing out), but to get you up to speed, here are five drivers you might want to keep an eye on when the race gets underway at 1 p.m. ET this Sunday on FOX.

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As he so often is, Alex Palou will be one of the drivers to beat in Washington, DC as he closes in on his fifth career championship. (Photo by Yuan Tian/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The driver of the No. 10 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing is going to come into the weekend as the man to beat, which shouldn't be a surprise considering he almost always is.

The four-time series champ and 2025 Indy 500 champ is currently leading the standings by 133 points.

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In case you were wondering, the most you can score on a single race weekend (not including the upcoming double-header weekend in Milwaukee) is 54 points.

Palou makes very few mistakes, if any, and the bad news for the field going into the Freedom 250 Grand Prix is that he made one of those mistakes last weekend in Markham, Ontario. A poor qualifying meant that he started the race in 11th.

Of course, he still finished in fourth.

As I said,