Katherine Legge Becomes NASCAR’s 17th Female Cup Series Driver – With Chevy’s Best in Her Corner
Women competing in the NASCAR Cup Series have been a rare sight. Since the sport’s inception, only 16 female drivers have made it to the top tier. The last one? Danica Patrick, who took her final lap at the 2018 Daytona 500—seven years ago. Before her, it was Shawna Robinson in 2001.
But now, NASCAR welcomes its 17th female driver and Patrick’s successor: Katherine Legge! The seasoned SportsCar racer is set to make her Cup Series debut at Phoenix Raceway, and the Chevy camp is rallying behind her to ensure she’s race-ready.
A Veteran Racer Takes on a New Challenge
At 44 years old, Katherine Legge has built an impressive motorsports résumé, spanning IndyCar, Formula E, and Midget racing. But tackling NASCAR’s next-gen car on a high-speed 1-mile track like Phoenix is an entirely different challenge.
Despite her experience, Legge isn’t entirely new to NASCAR. She has competed in five Xfinity Series races—four in 2018 and one in 2023—with most being road courses (ROVAL, Road America twice, and Mid-Ohio). The only oval race in her Xfinity stint was at Richmond in 2018, where she finished P28—a respectable result for a first-timer.
Now, with Phoenix’s high-speed oval in front of her, Legge is making sure she’s well-prepared. Fortunately, some of NASCAR’s biggest names are stepping up to help.
Chevy’s Top Brass Are Backing Legge
Piloting the #78 Chevy for Live Fast Motorsports, Katherine Legge is getting support from some of the biggest names in NASCAR. Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) are known for assisting fellow Chevy drivers, and this time is no different. Even Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has stepped in to help.
During her pre-race press conference, Legge expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming support:
“Very happy to be here, very happy that B. J. (McLeod) and Live Fast gave me the opportunity. And I’ve spent the majority of the week in North Carolina driving the simulator. So, RCR were kind enough to let me on their static Sim, and Chevy were kind enough to put me in the motion Sim. And Hendrick were really cool, and they let me do Pit Stop practice… So I feel like super well supported and as prepared as I possibly can be.”
With just two weeks to prepare after NASCAR’s approval, Legge needed all the help she could get. Her training started at RCR’s static simulator, which helped her get familiar with the track. But to get a real sense of the car, she then moved to Chevy’s motion simulator.
The Hendrick Motorsports pit stop practice was the final piece of the puzzle, giving her hands-on experience in launching and stopping a Cup car—crucial details for any first-time oval racer.
Why Phoenix and Not a Road Course?
Given her extensive road course experience, many expected Katherine Legge to debut at a track like COTA instead of Phoenix. As it turns out, that was the original plan.
When NASCAR approached Legge about her debut in Atlanta, she had two options: Circuit of the Americas (COTA) or Phoenix. Naturally, she leaned towards COTA, but due to time constraints, that plan fell through, leaving her with Phoenix as the only choice.
“Yes, I think I would have felt a whole other level of comfort if I had been at COTA last weekend. And we spoke about it, but it was just really tough to get it done in the time frame. So we’re in Atlanta, and NASCAR said, well, you could do COTA or Phoenix, and I’m like, COTA would be great. But there was just no way to get everything done and get the car ready for COTA. So, unfortunately, that didn’t happen. But fortunately, here I am at Phoenix.”
Had she raced at COTA, there’s a strong chance she could have been a top-10 contender. Remember her P14 finish at Road America in the 2023 Xfinity Series? That showed she could mix it up with the best on road courses.
Could Legge Get Another Shot at a Road Course?
B. J. McLeod and Live Fast Motorsports field the #78 car for multiple races each season—they ran five races last year. If all goes well at Phoenix, maybe they’ll give Legge another shot, this time at a road course like Sonoma or the Chicago Street Course.
For now, all eyes are on Phoenix as Katherine Legge makes history as the 17th woman to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series.
What do you think of Legge’s debut? Could she secure more races this season? Let us know in the comments!
