“Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about him”: Katherine Legge pens a note on her crash with JGR rival
On Saturday, April 19, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Katherine Legge, competing in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black's Tire, had a frustrating day. Facing two major setbacks, she penned down a note for her crash with her Joe Gibbs Racing rival. William Sawalich
Legge drove the #32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevy during the qualifying session as a part of her plan to run a dozen races this year in both series. However, things didn't go as she planned. She completed the lap in 23.397 seconds, but due to a lack of car owner points, Legge began the race from the end of the pack with Dawson Cram.
After a slow start, Katherine Legge got involved in an early crash, ending her run at Saturday's Xfinity Series race. On lap 53, she made contact with fellow Joe Gibbs Racing driver Sawalich and met the outside walls.
Reflecting on the disheartening incident in her first Xfinity Series of the 2025 season, Legge wrote (via X):
"I'm SO proud of this team!! We were able to run a fast enough lap time in qualifications to put me comfortably in the race if not for Owner Points provisional. So that's why my sponsors & partners were on board to help me get the track time I promised everyone we would get. They meant it when they said they support me and believe in our program.
"Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about Sawalich getting right up under the back of the car and taking me and subsequently others out of the race. Thank you Joey Gase Racing, Jordan Anderson, JJ Yeley, e.l.f. Cosmetics, and Team Chevy for having my back. See you all at Talladega!"
Katherine Legge will compete in the Ag-Pro 300 scheduled for next week on Saturday, April 26. The 113-lap event will be held at Talladega Superspeedway, and CW, MRN and SiriusXM will broadcast the 300.58-mile event at 4 PM ET.
"A dream come true": Katherine Legge gets candid on her Cup Series debut
Katherine Legge became the first woman to compete in NASCAR's top-tier racing series after Danica Patrick had retired in 2018. Legge joined JD Motorsports in the same year and competed in four races in the Xfinity Series. She secured a best finish of P14 at the Road America track.
Ahead of her Cup Series debut, Legge expressed her excitement and said:
“Entering the NASCAR Cup Series is a dream come true. I’m excited to team up with Live Fast Motorsports for Phoenix and to represent our sponsors DROPLight and Sherfick Companies. Racing stock cars has been an incredibly fun and new challenge that’s given me a renewed sense of vigor for this sport."
The 44-year-old professional race car driver debuted in the Cup Series at the Phoenix Raceway event in March. She began the Shriners Children's 500 from the end of the pack and failed to finish her debut race. With 98 laps to go, she spun out, collecting Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez, ending her run.