A veteran of 4 Indianapolis 500s and a multi-time race winner in IMSA, Katherine Legge is a confirmed racer. However at 44 years previous, she is pushing herself outdoors of her consolation zone and taking over a brand new problem fully as she ventures into the world of inventory automotive racing.
The British racing driver turned the seventeenth lady and the primary in over seven years when she entered the NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix. Sadly, the highlights of her Cup debut have been an early spin and a mid-race crash that collected Daniel Suarez.
Undeterred, she introduced an expanded schedule of 12 races between the Cup and Xfinity races. Her subsequent look was set for Rockingham, pushing herself to run two of the harder ovals on the circuit with restricted expertise. Sadly, she was one among two drivers who did not qualify for the race. Though she beat 5 drivers in time trials, she lacked the mandatory proprietor factors to lock herself in. However with backing from e.l.f. Cosmetics, she was in a position to safe a experience for the race one other crew — Joey Gase Motorsports.
However she did not find yourself getting the seat time she supposed as issues went very flawed whereas the leaders lapped her early on. Slowing into Flip 1 at a tempo far slower than the leaders round her, William Sawalich didn’t react in time and rammed into the again of her. Legge spun, colliding with Kasey Kahne earlier than slamming the surface wall. Her race was over.
Katherine Legge, Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet
Photograph by: James Gilbert / Getty Pictures
In fact, social media has been filled with crucial feedback — some honest, many not. However Marco Andretti, who has competed with Legge for years in IndyCar, was one of many loudest voices to come back to her protection. After a person referred to as her unproven, NASCAR driver Ryan Vargas pushed again in opposition to the person with a picture specializing in the truth that she is the quickest feminine qualifier in Indy 500 historical past , Andretti took discover.
“It’s wild to me what number of grown males speak badly about dangerous ass ladies like this,” posted Andretti. “Does it make them really feel extra manly from the sofa or one thing?”
Legge’s subsequent alternative behind the wheel of a NASCAR inventory automotive will come at Talladega this weekend, once more within the Xfinity Sequence.
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Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR XFINITY
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