Although Katherine Legge is a very talented race car driver, the 44-year-old has had a difficult start to the 2025 season as she looks to make the switch to NASCAR’s stock car racing circuit. Legge has had success in the Open-Wheel and Sports Car racing worlds in the past. The racer claims in the most recent episode of Legge’s podcast, Throttle Therapy with Katherine Legge, that she has been subjected to additional pressure in the form of death threats and inappropriate sexual harassment in the form of comments, in addition to attempting to drink water through a fire hose as she adjusts to NASCAR race cars.
“First of all, I want to say that being a woman racing in NASCAR, it comes with an incredible sense of pride and obviously, it comes with a level of scrutiny and harassment,” Legge explained. “However, I will say that the hate mail, the death threats, and the inappropriate sexual comments that I have received aren’t just disturbing, they’re unacceptable.” After her first two NASCAR National Series appearances of the 2025 season, Legge went on to emphasize that she is in NASCAR to compete and will not tolerate the disrespectful treatment she has experienced. “I want to make it obvious that I am here to race and compete, and I will not put up with any threats to my safety or self-respect, whether it’s on track or off of it,” Legge stated.
The seasoned racer has empathy for racing enthusiasts since she is aware of the extent to which they will go to support their preferred drivers. However, Legge asserts that there is a line and that it has been crossed a lot lately. “I am aware that racing is an intense sport, and I respect the strong feelings of its supporters. And to be honest, I appreciate and adore that aspect of our sport. A component of the game is constructive criticism. I’m constantly willing to learn new things and get better. Legge clarified, “I swear that I will always accept responsibility for my errors. “However, what I think people need to understand is that there is a very thin line between feedback and personal attacks, and it’s really disappointing to see how often that line gets crossed.” Legge elaborated on what she’s been going through, and says that while she’s received a rash of threats and cyber bullies in the wake of her recent NASCAR starts, that this isn’t a new phenomenon happening in only America.
The degree of hate that my team and I are currently dealing with is a component of a larger problem that, in my opinion, women in particular encounter in environments where men predominate. Additionally, because it’s so awful not only in the USA but also in Europe and the rest of the world, the FIA, the sport’s governing body, has released a document on it,” Legge said. The determined racer hopes that the problem won’t become commonplace and that those who criticize her realize that she has been competing on racetracks for over two decades. She claims that she is neither a gimmick nor a DEI (Diversity Equity, and Inclusion) hiring. She plans to race and is a world-class racer.
Katherine Legge’s Timeline for NASCAR in 2025
The English native made her NASCAR Cup Series debut at Phoenix Raceway in March while racing for the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports squad. Legge had been doing a fantastic job in her first race for the Live Fast team, a part-time “Open” entry in the NASCAR Cup Series, even though she posted the worst lap of the 37 cars in qualifying for the event. Legge settled in and started putting up fairly similar lap times to the drivers in the back half of the field after having trouble in the first few laps of the race. But on Lap 215 she made a mistake that ruined her respectable start when she pulled loose and made touch with Josh Berry, one of the lead-lap cars, and spun off of Turn 2.
With nowhere to move, Daniel Suarez, the person directly responsible for the incident, crashed with Legge. Legge’s race would be over after the incident, and she would receive credit for finishing in 30th place in her Cup Series debut. Legge started in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the first time since the 2023 season this past weekend. In order to give her some experience, a deal was reached for her to replace JJ Yeley as the driver of the No. 53 Joey Gase Motorsports Chevrolet after she failed to lock into the field in the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing entry. Regretfully, Legge’s race ended after a severe collision during her 50th lap in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Rockingham Speedway.
Legge, a lapped vehicle, was trying to give the lead-lap cars that were pursuing her space in the bottom lane. She was passed by fourth-place Nick Sanchez, but Legge and William Sawalich crashed when Sawalich couldn’t make it to the bottom lane in time. Legge spun down into Kasey Kahne’s No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet after Sawalich’s touch, colliding with the right front of Kahne’s vehicle before crashing headlong into the exterior wall. After race winner Jesse Love and 36th place finisher Justin Bonsignore were disqualified for violations in the post-race inspection, she was given credit for finishing in 36th position. Legge, who on April 17 announced a comprehensive NASCAR plan for the rest of the season, will get another chance to race this weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway as she’ll pilot the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet.
Legge will not get any practice sessions at Talladega to further acclimate to her race car, despite the fact that she has faced the same problem that all drivers trying to enter the NASCAR National Series ranks have had: very limited practice time on the track. “We are going to Talladega this weekend, where there is no practice at all,” Legge said. “You start qualifying right away, give it your all, and stay on the white line. followed immediately by the race. The driver, however, is prepared to take on Talladega with her Jordan Anderson Racing squad. She holds the record for the highest qualifying speed by a female competitor in the history of the Indianapolis 500, with a four-lap average of 231.070 mph in 2023. “They’ve been phenomenal,” Legge said of the Anderson team. “They’ve been so supportive and so professional.
It’s also a great automobile. Thus, I’m excited to collaborate with them once more. And I am eagerly anticipating Talladega. Since it’s going to be a plate race, it will differ greatly from some of these shorter ovals. And ideally, if I do well there, it will reduce the commotion and, yes, alter some people’s perceptions. Let’s pray for that, then. The CW will broadcast the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, April 26. At 4 PM ET, television coverage of the race is scheduled to start.
