Katherine Legge’s Rough NASCAR Debut Sparks Debate Over Cup Series Prep

“I’m the best girl race car driver you’ll ever see.” That’s what a young Katherine Legge once wrote to IndyCar legend Lyn St. James—and she’s backed it up with a career full of achievements. From four Indy 500 starts to breaking the women’s qualifying speed record at 231.070 mph in 2023, Legge has made her mark. Now, she’s the first woman in the NASCAR Cup Series since Danica Patrick in 2018. But her Cup debut at Phoenix on March 9, 2025, didn’t go as planned—it became a PR disaster for NASCAR in an instant.

Thrown Into the Deep End at Phoenix

Legge’s first race in Live Fast Motorsports’ No. 78 Chevrolet was nothing short of brutal. She spun twice, crashed into Daniel Suárez on Lap 215, and finished 30th. It wasn’t just a tough outing—it was painful to watch.

“It got a lot of negative attention,” Legge admitted, clearly frustrated with how things played out. With 25 years of experience in IndyCar, Formula E, and other top series, she’s no rookie to elite racing. But NASCAR threw her into the fire with almost zero preparation.

The NASCAR Rule That Set Legge Up for Failure

Legge wasn’t just battling the track—she was up against NASCAR’s flawed system. The 2025 format gave her just 45 minutes of practice (a slight increase from the usual 25 minutes due to a tire test), but it was still nowhere near enough time to get comfortable in a Next Gen car.

Racing insiders weren’t shy about calling out NASCAR’s practice limitations:

• Jordan Bianchi vented, “I’m so tired of it… other racing series have all this practice and NASCAR’s like, y’all got 20 minutes?”
• Jeff Gluck added, “It feels broken… you shouldn’t just show up.”

This $1,000,000 cost-cutting move is hurting new drivers like Legge. Even Joe Gibbs Racing has complained that NASCAR’s $500,000 parts penalty hurts underfunded teams—but slashing practice is an even bigger issue.

Legge Calls Out NASCAR’s Car Misconceptions

Despite the struggles, Legge broke down the Cup car’s unique handling after her Phoenix run.

“I’ve been told it drives like a GT car. It does not. Whoever said that, you’re wrong. It drives more like an Xfinity or ARCA car,” she clarified. “The biggest challenge was how it falls over on exit—it’s unsettling. But if I could go back and do Phoenix again, it’d be a whole different ballgame.”

Her takeaway? Simulators aren’t enough—real track time is crucial. She started figuring things out after a few laps, but without proper practice, she was set up to struggle.

Legge vs. NASCAR’s Approval Process: A Broken System?

NASCAR fans didn’t hold back on social media, criticizing Legge’s performance. But the real issue? The broken approval process.

Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped in:
“Ain’t going to ruin our business. Katherine Legge’s deal isn’t going to sink NASCAR. The real problem is elsewhere. It’s about the system—practice, support for new drivers, that’s where the fix is needed.”

Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup champion, backed that up:
“The approval process needs to change. You can’t toss someone in like that and expect it to work.”

Denny Hamlin, a 43-race winner, echoed the frustration:
“It should open eyes because NASCAR is like, ‘We are not very strict in who gets to run a Cup car.’ She was really thrown to the wolves.”

Hamlin saw Legge’s raw speed in qualifying, but lack of track time destroyed her race. Her talent isn’t the problem—the system is.

NASCAR’s Small Fixes Aren’t Enough

On December 12, 2024, NASCAR announced practice format changes for 2025:

• Cup Series: Two 25-minute group sessions at Daytona Speedweek (instead of a single 50-minute all-car session).
• Xfinity Series: Two 20-minute practices with Friday two-round qualifying.
• Truck Series: One 20-minute session.

But superspeedways like Talladega still have no scheduled practice. A step forward? Maybe. But nowhere near the season-long track time Legge needed before Phoenix.

Will Legge Get Another Shot?

The criticism has been brutal, but Legge isn’t backing down. She’s hooked on NASCAR and determined to “silence the doubters.”

NASCAR’s cheap cost-cutting ruined her debut, and fans deserve better. If the sport wants real competition, it needs to fix the rules, give drivers proper prep, and stop setting them up to fail. Otherwise, we’re just watching wrecks waiting to happen—and that’s not racing.