This Memorial Day Weekend, Katherine Legge is prepared to make history.
A 45-year-old veteran of various motorsports disciplines, Legge will attempt to run “The Double” on Sunday, May 24 – competing in both the NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600, according to a report from USA Today Sports.
Legge will be adding her name to an exclusive list of drivers who have attempted to pull off a 1,100-mile gauntlet, a list that includes NASCAR Cup Series champions Kyle Larson and Tony Stewart, as well as Robby Gordon, John Andretti, and Kurt Busch. In doing so, Legge will not just become the first woman to attempt “The Double”; but also the first foreign-born driver to attempt the feat.
Sponsoring Legge’s vehicles in both races will be multi-year partner, e.l.f. Cosmetics.
On-track activity for the 110th Indianapolis 500 began on Tuesday with an open practice session, where Legge got behind the wheel of the No. 11 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet that she’ll pilot for A.J. Foyt Racing (in collaboration with HMD Motorsports) in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. Legge turned 51 laps on track and ranked 33rd quickest of 33 entries.
For the NASCAR Cup Series portion of her afternoon, Legge will be reuniting with Live Fast Motorsports, the same organization she has competed with in her eight previous starts at NASCAR’s top-level, to drive the No. 78 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
In eight starts, Legge has a pair of top-20 finishes – a 17th in the Brickyard 400 last July, and a 19th-place result in the Chicago Street Race last Independence Day Weekend. Legge’s experience driving a NASCAR Cup Series vehicle has been primarily on road courses, with the exception of last Fall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where she attempted her first intermediate race, finishing 31st.
The Guilford, England-native returned to NASCAR Cup Series competition for the first time this season at Watkins Glen International last weekend and finished 35th. Though in a pre-race media session at the New York road course, Legge stated she would be interested in attempting the groundbreaking event.
“I think it would be awesome,” Legge said on May 9. “I think a lot of people have mentioned that, I think it would definitely be something that e.l.f. would be willing to do, because they want to do all the groundbreaking, glass-ceiling, really cool stuff. I hope that I get the opportunity one day down the road.”
Four days later, here we are.
This season’s Indianapolis 500 will also mark the fifth start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for Legge, who in four previous attempts has had a best finish of 22nd, coming in 2012 with Dragon Racing. In 19 NTT IndyCar Series starts, Legge has a best finish of ninth at Auto Club Speedway in 2012.
Legge is locked into the Indianapolis 500, with only 33 drivers on the entry list. However, it is unknown yet how many teams will enter the Coca-Cola 600. The entry list for that event will drop at the beginning of next week.
Photo: Meg Oliphant, Getty Images
