This NASCAR season has been one of firsts for Katherine Legge.
It’s her first in the NASCAR Cup Series — she’s the first female driver since Danica Patrick in 2018 — after making her debut in March at Phoenix Raceway, and it has been a whirlwind of change for Legge.
Sunday will present another hurdle as she races in the Chicago Street Race for the first time. She’s still getting adjusted to her stock car and the different courses in NASCAR.
“This year has been like drinking through a fire hose because I’m learning new cars, new circuits and new ways of doing things,” she told the Sun-Times.
On Wednesday, Legge ran through a simulation of the race to help her gain some familiarity with the course ahead of Saturday’s practice. Watching video is paramount for Legge because of the brief time — 20 minutes — drivers are allotted to practice Saturday.
Legge is the only woman in the Chicago Street Race, but she’s used to being a trailblazer. In 2012, she became the ninth woman to compete in the Indy 500 since the race’s inception in 1911, and she was the only woman competing at the 2024 edition.
She has experience with street courses through IndyCar racing but said the Chicago course is unique in its design.
“It’s bringing racing to the people, right?” Legge said. “They can literally watch the car go by their faces, so it’s a whole different animal. You have to be precise. You’ve got concrete walls. The atmosphere is the most unique thing about street-course racing.”
The start of the 2025 season has been rocky for Legge. She finished 32nd in the NASCAR Mexico City race, and her debut in Phoenix ended in a crash and a 30th-place finish. Legge, 44, acknowledged the shaky beginnings to her Cup Series career, but she’s optimistic about the rest of the season.
“It’s not a linear process,” Legge said of getting accustomed to Cup Series racing. “It goes up and down. It’s been, at times, incredibly frustrating and, at times, incredibly rewarding. There’s no quit in me. I’m gonna keep on pushing and be the best stock-car driver that I can be.”
What fuels Legge is the “tomboy” spirit of her youth. She raced go-karts at 9 and was drawn to the competitiveness and camaraderie, becoming hooked.
The self-proclaimed “adrenaline junkie” still has that fierce mentality each time she steps into her car. But she’s also fueled by the opportunity to show that NASCAR drivers have some personality.
As NASCAR continues to evolve and grow, Legge said that showcasing the drivers’ personalities is one way to expand its fan base and increase the number of women in pit crews or behind the wheel.
“We’re not some plug-and-play robots,” said Legge, who’s British. “Because of us showing up and representing, [young girls] are seeing that they have a car to cheer for. I might not be their favorite, but there’s somebody out there who recognizes that they’re there and is doing the activity toward them.”
For Legge, who has raced for more than 20 years and has made five Xfinity starts, visibility is the key. And Sunday is a big stage for her.
“You look at the numbers on TV, and there’s millions of people every weekend watching these races,” Legge said. “And I desperately want to be some people’s favorite driver one day. So I’m working on it.”