Donald Trump Takes Credit for Making Freedom 250 IndyCar Race Happen

Donald Trump says Washington's first IndyCar race spent years stuck in neutral ... until he got involved and helped get the green light in about 15 minutes.

The president joined FOX Sports at Sunday's Freedom 250 Grand Prix in D.C., where he took plenty of credit for bringing the race to the nation's capital.

Trump said longtime friend and IndyCar owner Roger Penske told him they'd been trying to make a D.C. race happen for 20 years -- even making more than 200 trips to Washington in the process.

Then, according to Trump ... "When he came to see Trump, it got done in about 15 minutes."

POTUS says the event became even bigger than expected ... claiming 300,000 to 350,000 people wanted to come and bridges had to be closed because of the turnout.

Trump's much-discussed executive assistant Natalie Harp was spotted at the inaugural race ... chattering away with his son Eric Trump.

Trump also met with drivers and team owners before the race -- telling them, "Good luck, do well, have fun."

He nearly told them to "be safe" ... before stopping himself and joking that's probably not the mindset racers need if they want to win.

First Lady Melania Trump was part of the festivities, too ... with FOX Sports and IndyCar teaming up with her Fostering the Future initiative, which supports foster children who are aging out of the system.

Melania called the program "more than an educational initiative" ... describing it as a "generational investment in America's talent pipeline."

As for Trump, he wasn't just there to watch -- he was also set to wave the green flag after taking a ceremonial lap around the course in The Beast.

Trump joked his ride would be a little different from the IndyCars ... calling it a "nice secure car" that's "slightly slower" than what fans were about to see.