At 44, Katherine Legge is dipping her toes into NASCAR — first with the Cup Series and more recently, this past weekend, in the Xfinity Series. In her Cup appearance, she tangled with Josh Berry, which spun her into the middle of the track, just as Daniel Suarez charged down the same lane — an incident that threw a wrench into his race.
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Legge’s Xfinity run at Rockingham fared no better; after a run-in with William Sawalich, she ended the day in 36th, logging only 50 laps.
In motorsports, criticism comes with the territory, but in Legge’s case, the backlash crossed a line. Speaking candidly on the Throttle Therapy podcast, she opened up about her current situation.
She said that while racing as a woman in NASCAR brings a deep sense of pride, it has also opened the floodgates to harsh scrutiny and targeted harassment.
Legge shared, “The hate mail, the death threats, and the inappropriate sexual comments that I have received on just disturbing. They’re unacceptable.”
Standing her ground, she added, “Let me be very clear: I am here to race. I’m here to compete. I won’t tolerate any of these threats to my safety, or to my dignity, whether that’s on track or off of that.” Legge is firm in her stance — she’s not here to play second fiddle, nor will she allow off-track noise to dictate her path forward.
She acknowledged that motorsports is driven by passion and that fans often wear their hearts on their sleeves, which naturally invites strong opinions. Constructive criticism, she said, is part and parcel of the sport, and she welcomes it with open arms. She made it clear that she always owns up to her mistakes and strives to improve.
However, she also drew a firm line in the sand — there’s a difference between offering feedback and throwing personal attacks, and she finds it disheartening how frequently that boundary is crossed.
Amid the storm, she has found support from within the racing fraternity. Ryan Vargas, who races full-time in the NASCAR Canada Series, stepped up when a fan questioned her credentials and claimed NASCAR cars were too costly to waste on someone “unproven.”
In response, Vargas fired back with a snapshot from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, showcasing Katherine Legge’s record-setting run. In 2023, she qualified for the 107th Indy 500 with a four-lap average of 231.070 mph, making her the fastest woman in the event’s history. Vargas simply captioned the post “unproven,” a sharp, sarcastic retort that needed no further elaboration.
His post gained further traction when Marco Andretti threw his hat into the ring, reposting it and writing, “It’s wild to me how many grown men talk badly about bad ass girls like this. Does it make them feel more manly from the couch or something?”
It’s wild to me how many grown men talk badly about bad ass girls like this. Does it make them feel more manly from the couch or something? https://t.co/Okzb1oRaIU
— Marco Andretti (@MarcoAndretti) April 22, 2025
The support didn’t stop there either. In fact, following her incident in the Xfinity car at Rockingham, Italian motorsports veteran Max Papis didn’t hesitate to speak up in her defense. Taking to his X handle, he shared a video raising a pointed question for those quick to criticize.
Papis asked, “They offer you a position where you know you might not be absolutely prepared for it. But that’s your job. Will you turn it down? I mean, that’s how she makes her living.” He then went a step further, stating that he could easily name several full-time drivers on the grid with less experience and skill than her.
According to him, the only misstep Katherine Legge made was choosing to debut in the Cup Series instead of easing into the fold via the Xfinity or Truck Series. In his view, that decision put a target on her back and exposed her to way more criticism than she actually deserved.
