Katherine Legge Shares Her Passion for NASCAR Transition

Katherine Legge’s racing career has spanned multiple top-tier motorsports, including four appearances in the Indianapolis 500, with her latest start in 2024. She has also achieved success in sports car racing, competing in events like the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

After shifting her focus away from IndyCar’s biggest stage for 2025, Legge turned her attention to NASCAR. Her passion for stock car racing began in 2018 when she made four Xfinity Series starts with JD Motorsports, achieving a best finish of 14th at Road America.

Initially competing on road courses, she made her oval track debut at Richmond Raceway in 2018, finishing 28th in a 40-car field. Legge has compared handling the heavier NASCAR cars to wrestling, a skill she developed while racing in Champ Car.

She often highlights NASCAR’s depth of talent and demanding race schedule as some of the toughest challenges for new drivers aiming to make an impact.

Legge’s 2025 season kicked off with a push to secure competitive NASCAR rides, resulting in her NASCAR Cup Series debut with Live Fast Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway. Although she initially planned to race first at Circuit of The Americas, Phoenix became her introduction to the series.

That debut race was particularly challenging, as Legge was involved in multiple on-track incidents, one of which caused Daniel Suárez to exit early. Despite setbacks, she values every lap as a vital learning and improvement opportunity.

Live Fast team owner BJ McLeod acknowledges the difficulty for part-time drivers like Legge entering the Cup Series. He has noted that the regular Cup field consists of some of the best drivers worldwide, emphasizing the importance of consistency and quick adaptation.

To gain more experience, Legge has partnered with Chevrolet and Jordan Anderson Racing in the Xfinity Series. Jordan Anderson has praised her strong work ethic and ability to quickly adapt, especially given limited track time and new cars.

Her 2025 schedule has included diverse tracks such as Rockingham Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Although she failed to qualify at Rockingham, she led a lap in her second Talladega start before being caught up in a multi-car crash.

This season, Legge has recorded three DNFs in four starts and missed qualifying at Nashville Superspeedway. Still, she remains optimistic, crediting team owners BJ McLeod and Jordan Anderson, as well as veteran mentors AJ Allmendinger and Justin Allgaier, for helping her adjust to NASCAR.

Breaking into NASCAR has been challenging, especially with limited oval racing experience and a deep field of talented regulars. Legge admits she initially underestimated the series’ competitive level, expecting to contend sooner.

She now understands it will take more time but believes her continued effort and preparation will help close the gap.

The second half of her season features a busy schedule, including the NASCAR Cup Series’ international debut at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. She also has Cup starts planned at Chicago, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and Richmond.

In the Xfinity Series, Legge will drive the No. 32 car in two more races at EchoPark Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Her focus remains on gaining experience, logging more laps, and steadily improving her results as she aims to become a full-time NASCAR driver.

While NASCAR is her current priority, Legge has not ruled out another Indianapolis 500 run. Team owner BJ McLeod has emphasized the goal of providing opportunities for Legge to develop in the Cup Series and achieve her personal driving benchmarks, similar to the pathways top drivers take to succeed in competitive series like NASCAR and Formula 1. For context, recent coverage of top-level racing at tracks like Monaco highlights the high adaptability required by drivers at this level (see McLaren Lewis Hamilton Monaco).

John Martinez

John Martinez delivers real-time NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series news, from live race updates to pit-lane strategy analysis. A graduate of the University of Northwestern Ohio’s Motorsports Technology program, he breaks down rule changes, driver tactics, and championship points with crystal-clear reporting.