There’s not a lot Katherine Legge hasn’t achieved in a motorsports profession that spans practically three a long time.
She’s raced Ferraris in Bahrain and Audis in Germany. She’s pushed within the A1 Grand Prix, Components E and the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
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And she or he’s raced within the Indianapolis 500 and within the NASCAR Cup Collection.
Later this month, the 45-year-old native of England goes to attempt to do each on the identical day.
Legge would be the first lady to aim “The Double” — racing within the Indy 500 and Charlotte’s Coca-Cola 600 — on Might 24. She confirmed her plans to USA TODAY Sports activities in an unique interview this week.
“It’s an thrilling time,” Legge informed USA TODAY Sports activities. “It’s one other groundbreaking factor that I can showcase to the world actually that, should you set your thoughts to issues, you are able to do something, and you are able to do issues that possibly you by no means even dreamt of earlier than.”
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March 8: Ryan Blaney celebrates profitable the Straight Discuss Wi-fi 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
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March 8: Ryan Blaney celebrates profitable the Straight Discuss Wi-fi 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
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March 1: Tyler Reddick celebrates profitable the DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
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Feb. 22: Tyler Reddick celebrates profitable the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.
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Feb. 15: Tyler Reddick celebrates along with his household and crew after profitable the 68th operating of the Daytona 500 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway.
Sponsoring her vehicles in each occasions can be e.l.f. Cosmetics, which was the primary magnificence model to be a sponsor in motorsports once they started partnering with Legge a couple of years in the past.
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“They’ve modified the face of racing for me,” Legge mentioned of e.l.f. “That is actually particular, as a result of I by no means felt such as you could be authentically you as a girl in racing and achieve success. I used to be at all times attempting to simply slot in. Sometimes, race automotive sponsors and companions do not essentially converse to the ladies. It makes issues like doing The Double attainable for me, as a result of they imagine in me.”
Legge will pilot the No. 11 Chevrolet for HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt Racing within the Indy 500, then get behind the wheel of the No. 78 Chevrolet for Dwell Quick Motorsports in Charlotte.
She started exploring the potential of trying The Double a couple of years in the past.
“e.l.f. at all times desires to do the groundbreaking, newsworthy, massive, cool issues, proper? They need to be disruptive,” Legge mentioned. “Final 12 months is once we actually began planning and found out the right way to undergo all the company channels. As a result of I wasn’t a NASCAR Cup driver at the moment, you need to do a bunch of races to get licensed earlier than they’ll allow you to (race at superspeedways). Then we simply labored actually exhausting to get the fitting companions and the fitting individuals behind us.”
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Ought to Legge qualify for each races, she would be the sixth driver within the historical past of motorsports to strive The Double. John Andretti was the primary in 1996, Robby Gordon tried 5 occasions, Tony Stewart twice, Kurt Busch in 2014 and most just lately Kyle Larson in 2024 and 2025.
Of the earlier 5 drivers, Stewart was essentially the most profitable, inserting sixth at Indy and third in Charlotte in 2001.
It’s some of the demanding assessments of endurance and ability in all of motorsports, as drivers trying The Double attempt to cowl greater than 1,100 miles in sooner or later with little restoration time between the 2 races.
“It requires a degree of endurance and precision that only a few in historical past have pursued,” Legge mentioned. “I do not know whether or not that makes me loopy or not for eager to do it,” Legge mentioned with fun.”
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However challenges of stamina aren’t new to Legge. She was the primary lady to compete within the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and she or he’s additionally pushed within the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
This would be the fifth time Legge has raced within the Indy 500 and she or he’s the one lady within the discipline this 12 months. Her finest end is twenty second and she or he holds the report for the quickest qualifying time by a girl on the Indy 500.
“Particularly on the Indy 500 facet, I really feel like we’ve got an awesome staff and a automotive that’s able to ending properly,” Legge mentioned.
Legge made her NASCAR Cup Collection debut final season, turning into the primary lady to race within the sequence since 2018. Charlotte will mark the ninth Cup race she’s competed in, along with her finest end coming final 12 months on the Brickyard 400 the place she positioned seventeenth.
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Along with the endurance challenges of trying The Double, there are additionally logistical hurdles Legge should handle. The Indy 500 begins at 12:45 p.m. ET and the Coca-Cola 600 inexperienced flag drops at 6 p.m. She’ll must take a helicopter from Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the airport the place she’ll take a flight to Charlotte, then helicopter to Charlotte Motor Speedway after touchdown. Legge will eat and hydrate on the aircraft and get an IV for additional electrolytes.
She’ll to shuttle the day earlier than, too. That Saturday, she has to attend the driving force’s assembly in Indianapolis earlier than going to Charlotte to qualify for the NASCAR race.
“It’s meticulously organized right down to the minute. I simply have to show left a bunch of occasions that day,” Legge mentioned. “Hopefully there is no climate points. We’ll be in every single place.”
If there’s a climate delay or every other issues that preserve Legge from reaching Charlotte on time, her staff could have a backup driver able to take the inexperienced flag and begin the race.
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Legge’s historic try at The Double additionally comes 50 years after Janet Guthrie knocked down boundaries in motorsports. She was the primary lady to finish observe laps on the Indianapolis 500, however did not qualify for that 12 months’s race.
As an alternative of chucking up the sponge, Guthrie shortly pivoted to NASCAR, traveled to Charlotte and certified for the World 600. She completed fifteenth within the race and was the primary lady to compete within the Cup Collection on a superspeedway monitor. The subsequent 12 months, Guthrie grew to become the primary lady to compete within the Indy 500 and Daytona 500.
It’s Legge’s hope her try at The Double will encourage extra younger girls to get into motorsports. Between Danica Patrick’s final NASCAR Cup race and Legge’s debut, greater than seven years handed the place there wasn’t a girl who competed at that degree.
She’s anxious that NASCAR will endure one other drought with out girls on the Cup degree.
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“It looks as if there’s no one ready within the wings able to tackle that mantra,” Legge mentioned. “What number of years out are we from having the following me? There’s a few women within the Truck Collection that I do not suppose have what it takes to get there. We have to develop the following era in order that I can hand over the baton, so to say. However sadly, there appears to be this massive hole as of late. And it is on the IndyCar facet, the open-wheel facet and on the NASCAR facet.”
Legge talked about Lanie Buice as a driver who has proven promise within the ARCA Menards Collection. The 19-year-old completed fifth at Kansas this season, however the street to NASCAR’s high degree is a protracted one.
“That is most likely 4 or 5 years away, if we’re being lifelike. And she or he’s only one, you recognize?” Legge mentioned. “We’d like like 5 or 6 of them. There’s tons of of man drivers who’re good and solely a handful will make it. It is only a numbers sport. We simply want to extend the curiosity and the accessibility and the visibility and showcase feminine expertise in order that they will see it’s attainable.
“You recognize, to be it, you need to see it.”
