Katherine Legge to become first woman since 2018 to make NASCAR Cup Series start
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Katherine Legge is set to become the first woman in just over seven years to make a start in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Live Fast Motorsports announced Monday that Legge will make her NASCAR Cup Series debut at Phoenix Raceway.
Legge has experience in sports cars and open-wheel cars. Last year, she made two starts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – a series where she boasts four class wins – two in 2017 and two in 2018 – and laps led overall in events like the 24 Hours of Daytona, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Last year, Legge also made seven NTT IndyCar Series starts for Dale Coyne Racing. She made the Indianapolis 500 field and had her best finish (15th) at The Milwaukee Mile. Her best career finish in IndyCar is ninth at Auto Club Speedway in 2012.
Legge has five career starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – four in 2018 and one in 2023. Her best finish was 14th at Road America in 2018.
She also raced in the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona this year. She started ninth but finished 39th after getting swept up in a wreck on lap three.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 15: Martin Truex Jr.. races Danica Patrick and Austin Dillon during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am Duel 2 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) 
HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 17: Danica Patrick speaks during a press conference announcing her retirement from full-time racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17, 2017 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Danica Patrick was the last woman to make a Cup Series start. She wrapped up her full-time career in the 2018 Daytona 500. While Jennifer Jo Cobb tried to make her debut at Talladega in April 2021, NASCAR didn’t approve her to run.
NASCAR confirmed they approved Legge to run at Phoenix. A spokesperson for NASCAR told TRE, “she has experience at Indy and Daytona. Plus, there’s a 45-minute practice this weekend, so there is extended time for us to observe her.”
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com