“We won the last time I was here”: Katherine Legge embraces her ‘NASCAR era’ with a bold new challenge in Mexico City
Katherine Legge is hoping for a more successful result in her second NASCAR Cup Series start in Mexico City. She made her debut at Phoenix earlier this season in Live Fast Motorsports' No. 78 Chevy and will race at a more familiar track Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez this time around.
The British driver's previous outings at the Mexico City circuit came during her Champ Car stint in 2006 and 2007. Legge also became the first woman to win at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in February of 2019, during the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY (Formula E). Starting from pole position, she led the race from start to finish and claimed a lights‑to‑flag win by 0.404 seconds in Round 2 of the Mexico City event.
"I'm in my NASCAR era, and I love it... Everybody is learning together and everybody's been super kind and amenable. And it's great to be back here. I've raced here twice in the past. We won the last time I was here. Different track configuration, I don't remember it all. I remember, I've hit the wall too many times in between then and now," Katherine Legge said via Prime Video on X.
Legge’s diverse career has seen her compete in multiple disciplines, mostly open-wheel racing in IndyCar, Champ Car and Formula E. The 44-year-old also made over eight starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and competed in IMSA sports cars as well but her strength lies in road courses.
"I have a lot of road course experience and a vast array of different things. I've driven everything apart from Aussie V8S now, I think... I'm hoping that it serves me well," Legge said.
Legge delivered a career-best 14th-place finish at Road America in the 2018 Xfinity Series race. This weekend, she will be the only open entry in the 100-lap Viva Mexico 250.
"It's not the same at all" - Katherine Legge on race vs road car driving
Katherine Legge's NASCAR Cup debut at Phoenix was challenging, and her day ended early after she crashed out. She was part of multiple crashes at the 1-mile oval, including one that took out Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez, who was close to a top finish.
However, her oval debut in NASCAR came a few years before at Richmond Raceway in 2018, when she finished 28th in a 40-car field. During the same Sports on Prime video, Legge reflected on the challenges of adapting to stock cars.
"I think people think that driving a race car is like driving a road car and in reality it's not the same at all. These things are big and heavy and brutal, and they beat you up and it's hard," Katherine Legge said.
Sunday's (June 15) 100-lap NASCAR Cup race is scheduled for 3 pm ET, with coverage streaming live on Prime Video, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.