‘Unlucky’ Katherine Legge shares true feelings after early Rockingham exit
Katherine Legge faced a disappointing end at Rockingham Speedway after an early crash cut her race short. Making her Xfinity Series return after two years, the Briton shared her thoughts on an 'unlucky' streak of misfortune.
Driving for Jordan Anderson Racing, Legge had failed to qualify for the series' return to Rockingham Speedway after 21 years. Although she beat out five other drivers, a lack of owner points meant an early exit from the bout.
However, her sponsor e.l.f cosmetics, negotiated a ride swap with another Chevrolet team, the No. 53 Joey Gase Motorsports. On Saturday, April 19, she stepped in for J.J. Yeley, who had qualified for the 31st spot on the grid. Nonetheless, on lap 53, the 44-year-old faced the brunt of William Zawalich's No. 18 Toyota, when he tagged her left-rear while she was being lapped.
Consequently, Legge spun around and collected Kasey Kahne in the process. As such, the Briton retired to finish the race dead-last. Speaking to the media post-race, she revealed her frustration with the incident.
"I'm just exacerbated, you know, I think I must've been really bad in a previous life or something because a bit unlucky. I mean there was not much I can do then, I just got taken out by Sawalich," Katherine Legge told via Fox Sports.
"We were just hanging with the pack there and I was thinking okay, i'm getting experience and my goal is just to finish, right. So when you get taken out like that there's literally nothing you can do. I don't have a disappear button on my steering wheel," she added.
Katherine Legge had made her NASCAR Cup Series debut earlier this season at the Phoenix Raceway. Competing with Live Fast Motorsports, she spun twice and retired to a 30th-placed finish.
Katherine Legge opens up about the aftermath of her Cup Series debut
Katherine Legge has revealed her intentions to rebuild her reputation after a disastrous Cup Series debut at the Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
Her performance raised concerns about her preparedness to compete in the Cup Series, while many blamed NASCAR's approval process for vetting a driver with less experience.
Piloting the No. 78 Chevrolet, Legge began the race on the tail end of the field and had a rocky start after spinning out on lap 4. On lap 216, she spun again after slight contact with Josh Berry. Consequently, Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez collided with Legge and sustained major damage.
Reflecting on the same, Legge shared her thoughts ahead of Saturday's Xfinity race at Rockingham.
"I know (Phoenix) wasn’t my best work. I made a mistake, right? I made a lot of mistakes during the race, tried to minimize them. … And then there was that one mistake that obviously ended Daniel’s race and cost me my reputation, which I intend to get back. But it was a mistake," Legge told NBC Sports.
Katherine Legge is set to compete in a dozen events between Xfinity and Cup Series this year. Up next, she will compete in the Xfinity race at Talladega Super Speedway on April 26, 2025.