Katherine Legge deserves a great deal of respect and credit.
On May 24, the 45-year-old Great Britain native will attempt a feat in motorsports that no woman has ever attempted: competing in racing’s proverbial “The Double,” starting her day in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 and ending her night 600 miles away in Charlotte, taking part in NASCAR’s longest race of the season, the 600-mile Coca-Cola 600.
Sure, other women have tried running in either the 500 or 600, like Danica Patrick, Janet Guthrie, Ly St. James, Sarah Fisher, Pippa Mann, Milka Duno, Simona de Silvestro, and Ana Beatrix, but none ever attempted The Double.
I have strong and fond memories of the first driver to run “The Double,” the late John Andretti, in 1994. I basically spent the entire morning before the race hanging with Andretti, starting with his 5 a.m. wakeup call at the Hampton Inn, about three miles from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. John and I talked extensively that morning about his excitement, expectations, and the history-making event he was going to be forever known as the first person to try The Double.
We left the hotel and, with a police escort, went to the famous Brickyard. We hung around his garage in Gasoline Alley as team co-owners Jonathan Byrd and the legendary A.J. Foyt went over strategy with their driver.
I meandered around the track as part of Andretti’s posse as he walked to pit road and then out to the front stretch of IMS for pre-race ceremonies. We parted ways, I wished him luck, and he went his way to his car, and I went my way to the media center. Andretti would drive an admirable race, finishing 10th, before hopping a jet to Charlotte to compete in the 600 that evening for team owner Billy Hagan (I stayed in Indy to report on the win by Al Unser Jr.).
Unfortunately, engine trouble ended Andretti’s night in Charlotte prematurely, and he finished a disappointing 36th.
Even though the odds are stacked against Katherine Legge, I’m hoping that she has a strong doubleheader performance on May 24th. Unfortunately, though, her track record — no pun intended — in both IndyCar and NASCAR doesn’t leave a lot of room for optimism.
Legge Is No Stranger to Indianapolis, But She’ll Be a Charlotte Rookie
This will be Legge’s fifth Indy 500. To date, her scorecard has been less than ideal: a career-best 22nd (completed 199 of 200 laps in 2012), 26th (completed 193 of 200 laps in 2013), 33rd (due to a crash in 2023), and 29th (due to mechanical issues in 2024). She’s never led one lap in any of her four 500 appearances.
As for NASCAR, this will be Legge’s ninth career NASCAR Cup start and her first-ever start at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a stock car. Her Cup scorecard is also rather dismal, with a career-best finish in all races of 17th (2025 Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis).
As I said earlier, you have to give Legge credit for attempting something no other woman ever has, and at an advanced age by racing standards. Such an attempt takes guts and hubris.
Legge has pretty much stayed out of trouble in her limited NASCAR experience. She even drew high praise last season for some of her starts by a driver normally not known for heaping praise upon rivals, namely, Denny Hamlin.
Being realistic, even with all of the success in sports car and open-wheel racing she’s had, let’s not forget that she’ll be racing against the best of the best in both IndyCar and NASCAR. I think a fair expectation would be mid-field finishes in the 33-car 500 and the 40-car 600 field.
No Bumping Allowed: Legge Is Guaranteed a Start In Both Races
And one very key statistic: no matter what, Legge will not be bumped from either race during qualifying. She’s essentially guaranteed a spot in both events. Unless she’s involved in a big wreck — particularly at Charlotte — that takes a number of cars out of the race, I can see her finish between 15th and 20th at Indy and maybe 25th to 30th at Charlotte.
Anything in either race will be a bonus.
Obviously, much of the reason why Legge is doing The Double is because of her sponsorship, which is guaranteed to get a ton of media attention, no matter how she does and how she finishes. That sponsorship, particularly if she does surprisingly well at one or both tracks, could go a long way to further enhancing and increasing her either open-wheel or stock car exploits.
I will say this, however: the odds for her performing in both races are likely going to be astronomical. But if by some way, she winds up finishing in the top five in one or both races, the payout for both her and those who bet on her is going to be like winning the Powerball or MegaMillions. By being the first woman to ever attempt The Double, Legge is already assured a spot in racing history.
And if she somehow manages to win either the 500 or 600, racing will never be the same.
