Legge hopeful for more opportunities in NASCAR
Today at 11:49 AM
Katherine Legge wants to do 'all the things' when it pertains to finding more opportunities in racing and that includes NASCAR.
Legge will make her ARCA Menards Series debut on February 15 at Daytona International Speedway with Sigma Performance Services (SPS). It will be her first time competing on the oval at Daytona. However, it will not be her first time in a stock car, as she has made five starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
But as Legge has prepared for her Daytona debuts, she has made the media rounds. During a stop on the 'Good Game' podcast with Sarah Spain, it was mentioned that Legge would attempt the Memorial Day double between the NTT IndyCar Series and NASCAR. However, as Legge told RACER’s Marshall Pruett, there are no solid plans for that to happen, and she's focused on earning her way through the NASCAR process to be able to compete on all types of racetracks.
"I think we've probably got to take it one step at a time and see how we're going to get there," Legge said. "I want to do all of the things. I want to do the Daytona 500. I want to do the Coca-Cola 600. I want to do more NASCAR. I want to do more IndyCar. I want to do more sports cars.
"I'm non-discriminatory. I think it would be very cool. I'm no Kyle Larson; I wish I was. I watched him at the Chili Bowl and in that moment, I felt very insignificant and just in awe of the amount of talent that he has. But, you know, wouldn't that be cool? I think that would be cool. So, never say never. Let's put it like that."
Legge made four starts in the Xfinity Series in 2018. In the years since, she's made one more start, which was in 2023. Four of those five starts came on road courses, with the other being the Richmond Raceway short track.
A motorsports veteran, Legge has competed successfully in various racing disciplines. In 2005, she triumphed in Long Beach in Toyota Atlanta, becoming the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America. In 2023, she became the fastest woman qualifier in the Indianapolis 500's history.
But competing in stock car racing is becoming her new favorite, and Legge sees the benefits of being a versatile driver now with stock car experience.
"Yes, I am," Legge said about being game to drive anything. "And again, it's making me a better driver and it's actually been one of the coolest experiences that I think I've ever done."
Andy Lally offered an assist to get Legge ready. She had mentioned to Lally during a celebration in Asheville, North Carolina, for Spencer Pumpelly's 50th birthday that she was heading to Charlotte for a seat fitting. Lally, who has competed in NASCAR, offered to go with her.
"So, he went with me and told me where I needed to sit and all the good stuff," Legge said. The team was awesome. I turned up for the seat fit; they were organized and on it, everything went so smoothly. I was like, this is weird. This never happens. What is going on? It's like I'm living in an alternate universe. Everything went so smoothly and I loved everybody. They were fantastic. I was like, this is cool."
The two-day test at Daytona last month went well, too. Legge and the team were among the top 15 fastest of the 70 teams participating in the test. Again noting how organized everything was with the team and how good the car was, Legge called the day "one of the best days" she's had.
"I thought it was the coolest thing," Legge said. "I love driving stock cars. I drove Xfinity a handful of times a few years ago, and I wanted to get back to doing more. In NASCAR, you need to earn a license. So, I'm qualified in NASCAR's eye to drive on road and street courses and then probably the short ovals in lower-power cars. But you can't just show up and say, you know what, I want to do the Daytona 500. Because NASCAR will go, you're funny. Unless you're Helio Castroneves, in which case they're like, yeah, sure, we'll make up a new rule for you."
Legge has seen other open-wheel drivers have to prove themselves in NASCAR, getting more opportunities to move upward. Danica Patrick and AJ Allmendinger were the two she specifically mentioned. The ARCA race at Daytona is one of those chances for Legge, and she admittedly is as nervous as excited to compete.
"I hope I'm good," Legge said. "And I hope I'm good enough that NASCAR will go, okay, now you're qualified to do the next and the next thing, and I can build on that if the opportunity arises.
"But whatever happens, again, it's going to make me a better driver. It's increasing my resume, and who doesn't want to do these cool things? I just count my lucky chickens. But I'm excited."
