Katherine Legge Finds Positives in Talladega Performance Despite Late-Race Crash

Newsweek

27-04-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
It may have ended with disappointment for Katherine Legge, but the British driver finished her Saturday on a high note as she came away from her Talladega campaign smiling after a P34 result.
Driving the No. 32 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing on the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Legge followed a difficult couple of races in Phoenix and Rockingham where she failed to finish. But despite this, her racing is improving each weekend.
"Honestly, I was having so much fun," she said after her race ended with a crash and a health check by the infield care center. "The car was awesome. I was kind of hanging out for the first two-thirds of the race, and then we got a little bit more racey and I could run up there pretty easy. I thought we were going to have a great day. Can't catch a break."
The incident wasn't Legge's fault. Aric Almirola followed his spotter's call to move up the track ahead of the Guildford-born driver, but the call came too late. There was contact, causing a multi-car wreck including Legge and Almirola, as well as Jeffrey Earnhardt and Brandon Jones.
Katherine Legge, driver of the #32 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet, walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama.
Katherine Legge, driver of the #32 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet, walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama.With just 13 laps to go, it was a heartbreaking end for each of the drivers.
"The middle lane was just kind of fading out, and I caused my own crash," Almirola told the media. "I saw a quick opening, and [Reeves] said I was clear, so I made my move."
He clarified: "Katherine didn't do anything wrong; she was precisely where she needed to be, and I just turned across her path."
Legge led the pack for a brief moment, becoming just the fourth female driver to do so in NASCAR's Xfinity Series history. But, with this being under a green-flag pit cycle and not under race pace, she isn't happy with accepting this record.
"That doesn't count," Legge joked. "I can't claim that, that's not right. We'll just say I had a really good day."
This makes it Legge's third consecutive DNF so far this season, with her Cup Series debut at Phoenix ending similarly as she clashed with Daniel Suarez, and her Xfinity Series race at Rockingham saw her, William Sawalich, and Kasey Kahne involved in a wreck, too. But she isn't about to take this to heart.
In conversation with Throttle Therapy, she said: "My performance and not my gender is what defines me as a competitor. And I haven't been in NASCAR long enough to be accurately judged for that. You can't judge me on three races.
"We need more accountability, in my opinion, from the fans, from the social media platforms, and from the organizations to ensure a safe environment for all drivers, athletes."