AVONDALE, Ariz.: Most NASCAR Cup rookies have months if not years to prepare for their first start in stock car racing’s top division..
That wasn’t the case for Katherine Legge. Less than two weeks ago, the 44-year-old racer was asked to drive the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports in Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
The accomplished racer from Guilford, England, not only jumped at the opportunity but went into beast mode to be as prepared as she could be for her Cup debut.
“I’ve literally known about doing this race for about 10 days, maybe,” Legge said. “I sat with the NASCAR folks in Atlanta and asked them what I needed to do in order to be licensed in NASCAR. I have to start on a short track, and so here I am.
“Very happy to be here. Very happy that (team owner) B.J. (McLeod) and Live Fast gave me the opportunity.”
Although Legge hails from an open-wheel and sportscar background, she has raced in NASCAR before. In 2018, she competed in four NASCAR Xfinity Series events for Johnny Davis Racing—three on road courses and the fourth at Richmond Raceway. Legge’s best result was 14th at Elkhart Lake.
Legge raced a one-off for Bobby Dotter in 2023 befoee returning to the sport this February for the ARCA season opener. After qualifying ninth, Legge was swept up in a 15-car wreck four laps into the race.
That didn’t discourage Legge. And when the deal came together to race the No. 78 Droplight Chevy, support poured in from the Chevrolet key partners. RCR’s engine arm—ECR–provides power plants for Live Fast. Hendrick Motorsports pits the No. 78.
The Chevrolet community came together to insure that Legge, the first female to make a Cup start since Danica Patrick in 2018, would stand a fighting chance in Sunday’s race 500.
“I’ve spent the majority of the week in North Carolina driving the simulator,” Legge said. “RCR was kind enough to let me on their static sim, and Chevy was kind enough to put me in the DIL, the motion sim. Hendrick was really cool. They let me do pit stop practice, and Kaulig has been super awesome.
“So I feel well-supported and as prepared as I possibly can having never driven on an oval like this, a NextGen car.”
McLeod attended every session with his driver to accelerate the acclimation process. His wife, Jessica, says mentoring comes naturally to B.J. The couple met when he was a driving instructor at Finish Line Racing School more than two decades ago.
“We really want to build out our development program,” said Live Fast co-owner Jessica McLeod. “Drivers coming into the sport are not going to get experience driving the NextGen car any other way.
“We may be a small team, but we’re very prepared and very organized. And I’m excited to have a driver as multi-faceted as Katherine in the car.”
Live Fast was a chartered team until 2023. The McLeod’s took the No. 78 team part-time last season. Their game plan provides for B.J. to race the tracks he feels most comfortable at then offer additional races to aspiring Cup drivers.
Legge has enjoyed her time at Live Fast.
“Such a good dude,” Legge said. “They’re both awesome people. I mean, they hustle, and you have to respect their love for the sport, and they want it so badly. They do everything they can to be here, and I think that that kind of embodies how I feel about it sometimes, too.
“You don’t always have the money or the equipment, but you love racing so you do what you can and try and build on that and improve. I think he’s the same.”
Legge’s passion for racing is undeniable. She started running go karts in the track behind her house and dreamed of racing in Formula 1.
“I ended up in open wheel and found a love for Sportscar racing,” Legge said. “I loved doing the Xfinity races I did and wanted to do more stock car racing. I got the opportunity to do the Chili Bowl, so I did it. It was really cool. It was a really cool experience. I figured the more things I do, the better I’ll become.
“Everything teaches you something, but I do feel I have one of the most diverse careers in racing. Literally, you name it, I’ve driven it. I’ve driven Formula E. I’ve driven prototypes. I’ve driven so many different forms of racing. I feel like this is the one I really wanted to do that’s eluded me. I just love it. It’s in my blood.
“They say your job should not be your identity? Well, this is 100 percent my identity. I’m just a racing driver. I don’t know where I’d be without it. I love it so much. I love everything about it. I love the driving. I love the comradery. I love the competition with everybody else. I love the competition with yourself. I love the technical elements of it and figuring out what to do to make your race car go fast. I love the strategy. Literally every aspect of it makes me want to get out of bed in the morning. I just love it.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at [email protected].
