Good morning. This is the NOTUS Metro newsletter for Aug. 21, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
THE LATEST
D.C.’s first-ever IndyCar race has literally pulled into the station.
Ahead of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, which takes place Sunday with practice sessions and qualifiers Saturday, a racecar was paraded along Metro’s Yellow Line on Thursday.
Trending
Perhaps the car took the Metro to avoid traffic. While racecars this weekend will fly by at speeds in excess of 185 mph, some D.C. drivers complained this week about hourslong commutes due to race-related road closures. Officials — and your friends at NOTUS — are highly encouraging folks to use Metro instead.
The honking horns of traffic are nothing compared with the noise that this weekend’s event is expected to create. A typical IndyCar race produces around 110-130 decibels of noise, per Washingtonian magazine. That’s just under the threshold of pain. Other things that produce a similar level: nightclubs, ambulance sirens, rock concerts, vuvuzelas, jackhammers and jet engines heard from 100 meters.
The racecars also create thundering vibrations, and these worry some preservationists, Lori Aratani reports for NOTUS. Cars will speed past several landmarks housing plenty of artwork, including the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building.
“Reasonable people would not risk this,” one preservationist said. “I call this a Jurassic Park problem. … Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it.”
FROM THE DISTRICT
Chuck Brown’s relatives are wound up. The family of D.C.’s Godfather of Go-Go took to Instagram on Thursday to express their frustration over how the city has managed the annual Chuck Brown Day festivities, which are scheduled for this weekend.
“After three years of being marginalized in both the planning process and the overall direction of the event, we no longer believe the event reflects the level of collaboration, respect, and stewardship that Chuck Brown’s legacy deserves,” a statement from the family reads. Until new leadership is found for the popular event, the family says they will no longer take part.
Vaccination rates among D.C. kindergartners decreased last school year, according to new CDC data reported by Axios D.C. The change is part of a national trend, with a backdrop of continued efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to roll back vaccine requirements.
Test scores are up again in D.C. schools, per results from the city’s annual assessments that were released this week. Proficiency in English stands at 39.6%, up 2 percentage points from last year, while math proficiency is up to 28.5%, a gain of 2.1 percentage points. City officials say this is the fourth consecutive year of proficiency gains. Still, improvements were more pronounced in lower grades than in higher ones, and significant gaps exist between different demographic groups.
FROM MARYLAND
Not so fast: Montgomery County is testing a program that would catch drivers who speed through intersections on green lights, WTOP reports. The county is updating two of its 76 red-light cameras, both in Silver Spring, to try it out later this year.
METRO MOMENTS
Earlier this week, we wrote about the 2002 American Le Mans series race that took place in the parking lots at RFK Stadium — that was the last time the District hosted a racing event at the scale we’ll see this weekend.
We heard from reader Scot Hasselman, who not only attended that 2002 race but took plenty of pictures in the crowd. Here’s one of our favorites, featuring a background appearance from the Metro. Thank you to Scot for sending those over!
SPORTS
Mystics rookie Georgia Amoore has struggled of late, posting three zero-point performances in her last five outings. That’s not good enough for a starting point guard, especially one on a young, playoff-contending team. But, as NOTUS’ Dave Sheinin reports, Washington has rallied around its court general, publicly highlighting contributions that can’t be seen on a stats sheet and giving her the time and space to improve.
What to Watch Today
MLB: Nationals at Marlins, 7:10 (MLB.TV)
WNBA: Mystics vs. Lynx, 7:30 (Ion)
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson.
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