Katherine Legge isn’t here for tokenism. As the first woman to race NASCAR’s Next Gen car in Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway, the British driver didn’t hold back when addressing the sport’s gender gap.
Katherine Legge Addresses Women in Motorsports
“It’s disappointing there aren’t more women in INDYCAR, NASCAR Cup, sports cars,” she said Friday, March 7.
Legge, 44, will become the eighth woman to compete in NASCAR’s modern era and the first since Danica Patrick’s 2018 Daytona 500. But the milestone feels bittersweet for this veteran of Formula E, IndyCar, and sports cars.
“I’d rather people just saw me as another racecar driver on merit,” she admitted.
Legge’s racing résumé includes 47 open-wheel starts, four sports car wins, and even midget car races at the Chili Bowl. Yet, her Cup Series debut with Live Fast Motorsports underscores a harsh reality — women remain outliers in top-tier racing.
“There’s been a gap since Danica, Simona [de Silvestro], and me,” she said. “Now there’s a lull.”
The disparity isn’t lost on fans.
“Everybody asks, ‘What’s it like to be a girl in racing?’” Legge noted. “And I don’t know, because I only have my own experience. I don’t know what it’s like to be a boy in racing.”
Legge’s journey, marked by sponsorship hurdles and crashes, mirrors the broader struggle for women in motorsports. A 2006 Champ Car flip at Road America and a harrowing 2025 Chili Bowl wreck left her unscathed but spotlighted the risks she’s shouldered for decades.
Legge’s frustration is evident.
“I’m not immune to or blind to the fact that it [being a woman] has helped me in ways, too,” she said. “So I’m just going to go out there and be Katherine and do the very best that I can.”
Legge’s focus is on her performance. After securing approval to race on tracks one mile or shorter, she spent two weeks training in simulators at Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports.
“I feel like I’m either going to sink or swim,” she said. “But everybody’s given me the best possible opportunity to go out there and do a good job.”
Preparing for Phoenix and Paving the Way Forward
Legge’s Cup debut at Phoenix, a one-mile oval, was a strategic choice. While road courses like COTA suit her background, Live Fast Motorsports prioritized manageable speeds over the tighter confines of Martinsville or Bristol.
“I hoped to fly under the radar,” Legge joked, unaware her debut coincides with International Women’s Day. “No way that’s happening now.”
Her preparation included sessions in Chevrolet’s motion simulator and pit-stop practices to master the Next Gen car’s nuances.
“Everything teaches you something,” said Legge, whose career spans prototypes, Formula E, and ARCA.
“This is the challenge that’s eluded me.”
Beyond Phoenix, Legge is eyeing future Cup races and a potential return to the Indianapolis 500. But her ultimate goal? Mentorship.
“When I stop racing, I’d love to bring up the next generation,” she said. “Only a handful of us have these lived experiences.”
Legge’s resilience stems from an unshakable identity. “You know how they say that your job should not be your identity?” she said. “Well, this 100 percent is my identity. I am just a racing driver.”
For now, Legge is focused on Phoenix.
No tokenism. No platitudes. Just speed.
