Katherine Legge has entered the NASCAR scene seemingly out of nowhere. It was announced in April that she would bring a sponsorship from the Indy 500 into the Xfinity and Cup Series. Since taking a step into the world of NASCAR, she’s already made history while racing in the Brickyard 400. Danica Patrick hasn’t raced for NASCAR since 2018, but her time in the series came with several history-making moments. While Legge and Patrick share similar backgrounds when it comes to racing, Legge already seems ready to stick it out in NASCAR.
Patrick and Legge both have a background in IndyCar and other open-wheel racing. Thanks partly to her British heritage, Legge started driving in several developmental open-wheel series, including Formula Three, Formula Renault, and Formula Ford. She pushed her way through the male-dominated field and became one of the only women ever to test a Formula One car. She continued through Champ Racing and DTM before finally making it to IndyCar, SportsCar, Formula E, and Endurance Racing.
Patrick started at a young age, getting into racing through karting like many other NASCAR drivers. She entered the IndyCar series before Legge and was relatively successful, ending several seasons in the top ten. She’s now considered the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing because of her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300; it’s the only win by a woman in IndyCar. Her time in IndyCar put her on the map, and that’s when she tried to jump feet-first into NASCAR.
Patrick took a gradual approach to the world of stock car racing, starting in the ARCA series before switching to the Cup Series. She started racing with Stewart-Haas and had her first full season in 2013. That’s when she became the highest placing woman driver in the history of the Daytona 500, where she finished in eighth. Her ability to shed her skin and take over a stock car after mostly racing IndyCar helped show how versatile drivers can become.
Legge has come into the Cup Series part-time, similarly to how Patrick started. She also made headlines as the first woman to race in the Cup Series since Patrick stepped away from NASCAR in 2018. She’s continued her time in SportsCar while also taking on the Cup, Xfinity, and ARCA Series, showing her true passion for motorsports.
One thing that many people have started pointing out is Legge’s late entrance into the world of NASCAR. Partick made her debut at the age of 29, whereas Legge is now 45 years old. That doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be on the field; it simply shows that female drivers haven’t been thriving the same way Patrick did several years ago. There have been only a handful of successful, full-time Cup Series drivers, making the expectations for success greater than for other drivers. Those expectations can also serve as a downfall.
Many fans believe Patrick’s career in NASCAR was cut short because of her inability to connect and succeed with her fellow drivers at Stewart-Haas. It could be a case of sending a driver into the series too early in their career, or the fact that she might just be better at driving IndyCar.
While Legge’s debut is something to celebrate, it also highlights the lack of success most female drivers achieve. Although many female drivers participate in the ARCA Series, such as Isabella Robusto, and the Xfinity Series, like Hailie Deegan, their success doesn’t lead to a move into the Cup Series. It would be interesting to see teams take a genuine interest in nurturing talent in female drivers moving forward. It seems that Patrick and now Legge are leading the way in that regard.
Legge might be a new face on the track, but she’s already making some historic waves. She finished 17th overall in the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, making it her second top-20 finish in five Cup starts this year. She’s also the first woman to race in NASCAR’s Next Gen Car. Finally, Legge joins Patrick and 1970s driver Janet Guthrie as the only women to race in NASCAR’s top division and the Indy 500.
Patrick helped keep women relevant in motorsports, and her exit from the Cup Series left a large hole that stayed empty for years. Legge is now filling in that role, and her list of accomplishments is helping her reach people’s expectations earlier than Patrick’s reputation. Legge has set women up for success in motorsports for decades, setting the fastest qualifying lap by a woman in the Indy 500 and top finishes in Endurance Racing and Sports Cars.
While Patrick’s history helped kick up excitement for Legge’s debut, the main issue that still isn’t being discussed is the lack of women in motorsports. Men have taken up the space for so long that it seems there’s no room left for them. It doesn’t seem like a conscious effort to keep women out of the sport; instead, it looks like no one even thinks of them as competitors in the field. Women haven’t seen much success in the Cup Series, but maybe allowing more women in the field would help change that.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
