Katherine Legge will break a seven-year barrier this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. The 44-year-old British racer, experienced in IndyCar and sports car events, will drive the No. 78 DROPLiGHT Chevrolet Camaro for Live Fast Motorsports in the Shriners Children’s 500 on Sunday, March 9. Her debut signifies the first time a woman has taken the start in a NASCAR Cup Series race since Danica Patrick’s last appearance in the 2018 Daytona 500.
Legge’s entry extends Live Fast Motorsports’ partial 2025 schedule and reignites conversations about women’s roles in NASCAR’s top tier. With five Xfinity Series starts and a recent ARCA Menards Series attempt, Legge faces a steep learning curve but brings two decades of global racing experience to the challenge.
Katherine Legge Makes NASCAR History as First Woman Since Danica Patrick
Legge’s Cup Series opportunity arrived unexpectedly. Live Fast Motorsports, co-owned by BJ and Jessica McLeod, shifted plans after failing to qualify for the Daytona 500. The team tapped Legge, already adjusting to stock cars through ARCA and Xfinity races, to steer the No. 78 at Phoenix.
“We are thrilled to announce that @katherinelegge will be driving the No. 78 DROPLiGHT Chevy Camaro this week in Phoenix! This will be Katherine’s debut in the NASCAR Cup series,” the team posted on X, highlighting her role in expanding their 2025 slate.
We are thrilled to announce that @katherinelegge will be driving the No. 78 DROPLiGHT Chevy Camaro this week in Phoenix!
This will be Katherine’s debut in the NASCAR Cup series.#nascar #cupseries pic.twitter.com/w9zdc3clac
— Live Fast Motorsports (@teamlivefast) March 3, 2025
The last woman to compete in the Cup Series, Patrick, last raced in the 2018 Daytona 500. Legge, however, downplays comparisons.
“I don’t think anybody expects me to go out and set the world on fire and be competitive because it’s the most competitive championship in the world,” she told Road & Track. “I just don’t want to make any mistakes and look silly or look incapable. I think the competitiveness will come with experience.”
Legge’s focus proves competence on Phoenix’s one-mile oval, where precision tops raw speed.
Legge’s NASCAR Journey Defies Odds and Expectations
Legge’s path to Phoenix wasn’t linear. A 2019 crash during an ELMS test left her with two broken legs. Defying doctors, she climbed from a wheelchair into a race car weeks later.
“I went out there and said, ‘I can still do this.’ This is fine, I still know how to hit all my marks, and I still know what I’m doing driving-wise, and I’m not scared of it,” she recalled. The determination paid off for her in 2023 as she set the fastest female qualifying record at the Indianapolis 500.
Now, Legge leans on NASCAR veterans like AJ Allmendinger and Bubba Wallace for advice. Wallace, she noted, offered unsolicited guidance at Daytona.
“He took the time to give me some advice.”
Meanwhile, Legge’s sports car pedigree, including IMSA and WEC campaigns, prepares her for Phoenix’s technical demands.
“It’s like asking Jimmie Johnson to go and be competitive in IndyCar straight away,” she said. “There’s a lot that you have to learn before that can happen; it’s the same in NASCAR.”
Legge also confronts the spotlight of being NASCAR’s lone female contender.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” she admitted. “I want to be there on merit, not just to tick a diversity box.”
Her approach? Shut out the noise and focus on racing. “The car doesn’t know the difference,” she said. “I just want to be seen as another driver.”
Sunday’s race tests more than skill; it challenges perceptions. For Legge, Phoenix is more of a chance to redefine what’s possible, one lap at a time.
