“She Can Wheel a Car”: Katherine Legge Receives Wave of Support From NASCAR Fans After Crashing Out of Talladega Xfinity Race

Katherine Legge’s run at Talladega Superspeedway ended in heartbreak, as she crashed out in her third NASCAR start of the season. After rolling off from P27, Legge battled her way through the pack, ending Stage 1 and Stage 2 in P33 and P34, respectively. However, by the final stage, she was making serious headway, running as high as P15 and even leading her first career lap during a cycle of green-flag pit stops.

But then, just as she seemed ready for a solid finish, disaster struck with 13 laps to go. A miscommunication from the spotters triggered a multi-car pileup that swept Legge, Aric Almirola, and Jeffrey Earnhardt out of the race.

The chaos unfolded when Almirola attempted to slot in front of Legge, but the move came too late, sending him spinning across her nose and collecting Earnhardt and Brandon Jones in the process. Jones’ car nearly tipped over after getting hooked from behind, but stayed upright. With this crash, Legge now carries the weight of three consecutive DNFs in her NASCAR campaign this season.

This year, Legge started her NASCAR campaign at Phoenix Raceway in the Cup Series, but her debut quickly turned sour. After getting wrecked and left stranded sideways in the middle of the track, she inadvertently ended Daniel Suarez’s hopeful run. Suarez, running inside the top six and well on his way to a potential top-five finish, slammed into her stationary car in the middle of the track, sparking considerable backlash from fans toward her.

However, following her recent showing at Talladega, the tide of public opinion seems to be shifting. Bob Pockrass shared a pit road interview with Legge, marking the occasion when she became just the fourth woman to lead a lap in Xfinity Series history. Reflecting on her race, Legge praised her team, saying, “I was having so much fun. It was awesome. The car was awesome… Gave me a great car.”

When asked about leading a lap, however, Legge humbly downplayed the achievement: “That doesn’t count. I can’t claim that. That’s not right. I spend the majority of my time, saying I should just be treated like any other driver. So, something like that, claiming that seems to go against it a little bit. So, we’ll just say ‘I think I had a really good day.'”

 

Fans who had once been critical of Katherine Legge changed their tune after her strong showing on the superspeedway. On Pockrass’s post, one supporter encouraged her efforts, saying, “Wrong place wrong time… an improvement… Keep digging and chasing your dreams!”

Another fan took a stand against the earlier criticism she faced, writing, “I hate that she’s getting the same disrespect that Danica got. These alpha males just can’t have a powerful woman driver succeed. So sad.”

Others turned their frustration toward Aric Almirola, blaming him for the wreck that ended Legge’s day, with one remarking, “She was running so good today…pity Almirola made a bonehead move.” Another fan echoed similar sentiments, adding, “Hated to see her crashed, she was having a good day and drove a good race. Lots of haters but she can wheel a car.”

What did Almirola say after his wreck that collected Legge?

Legge finished the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega in 34th place, while Aric Almirola ended his day in P33 following the wreck. However, Almirola took full responsibility for the incident, making it clear that Katherine Legge was blameless.

He admitted, “The middle lane was just fizzling out there and I crashed myself, I guess. Yeah, [I] had a quick hole I guess, and he [the spotter] said ‘clear,’ so I moved and, I don’t know, I wasn’t clear. Obviously wasn’t clear since I crashed. Katherine didn’t do anything wrong; she was right where she needed to be and I turned across her nose.”

Legge will look to bounce back when she returns to the track for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on May 3.