mobile app bar

‘I Thought I Was Better’: Katherine Legge Admits How NASCAR Forced Her to Introspect on Her Driving Ability

Gowtham Ramalingam
Published

Xfinity Series driver Katherine Legge (32) pauses for the invocation befpre the NASCAR Xfinity: Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Katherine Legge made her debut in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Phoenix Raceway earlier this year. Her performance was met with criticism for her inexpertise in handling the Next Gen car and crashing out in the race, taking Daniel Suarez along with her. She next raced in the Xfinity Series in Rockingham Speedway and met a similar fate.

All her NASCAR results thus far have led her to realize that she is not as good a racer as she thought. She admitted the same with a chuckle while talking to NASCAR.com.

“I thought that I was a lot better than I am. I have no doubt that I’ll get there. But how quickly? I thought I would drive the car a couple of times and then be up at the sharp end, but it’s taking a little longer than I anticipated,” she said.

Legge’s upcoming race is in Mexico City. She will be competing for Live Fast Motorsports, the same team she made her Cup Series debut with. The second half of the season is filled with more exciting races. The races at Chicago Street Race, Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen International, and Richmond Raceway are all on her calendar.

Her goal in all these races is to secure solid results, not gain a better position than any particular driver. The 44-year-old’s ultimate desire is to become good enough to race full-time in the Cup Series soon. To do that, she needs to prove to the world that she can hold her own in the Next Gen car. Hopefully, she will find the skill to pilot her car through the 100 laps at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Legge’s team owners express support for her cause

Live Fast Motorsports is owned by BJ McLeod. Seldom do team owners express as strong support for their drivers as McLeod does for Legge. He said, “It’s the toughest thing that she’s ever come across.

“They [Her competitors] truly are that good, and it makes it extremely difficult for her because even if she’s equally as talented, she doesn’t get to race every week. She is the only part-timer that’s trying to get out there, get up to speed and she has very limited stock car experience.” 

Chevrolet had Legge team up with Jordan Anderson in the Xfinity Series. Once again, she found herself with a supportive team owner. Anderson, too, believes that she will be able to perform a lot better with more practice. Hopefully, the upcoming events will help her adapt to the sport and become a mainstay.

Post Edited By:Abhishek Ramesh

About the author

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 350 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

Share this article