NASCAR driver Katherine Legge slams 'DEI hire' slights after Xfinity Series crash
Professional driver Katherine Legge has done a lot to make her mark on the sport of auto racing.
She holds the record for the fastest qualifying time for a woman in the Indianapolis 500. She was the first woman to win an open-wheel race in North America. She was also the first woman to be inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame.
But the British driver revealed in a podcast episode that she's received "death threats" from fans after she was involved in a crash during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham last weekend. The incident also involved veteran driver Kasey Kahne.
"Let me be very clear, I'm here to race and I'm here to compete, and I won't tolerate any of these threats to my safety or to my dignity, whether that's on track or off of it," Legge said during the "Throttle Therapy" episode.
She added that "the inappropriate social media comments I've received aren't just disturbing, they are unacceptable."
Legge became the first woman in seven years to start in a NASCAR Cup Series race when she made the field in Phoenix. The Xfinity Series race was her second of the season. She was thrust into J.J. Yeley's car as she was bumped off the starting grid because of ownership points.
Legge moved off the pace in the race when William Sawalich got into the back of her vehicle and sent her spinning. Kahne had nowhere to go and ended up running into her at the bottom of the track in Turn 1. Legge explained she was hit too hard, which caused her to spin around.
As for the social media comments, Legge pushed back on claims she was a "DEI hire" or anything less than just a "gimmick" driver who didn't really earn her spot.
"I have earned my seat on that racetrack," Legge said. "I've worked just as hard as any of the other drivers out there, and I've been racing professionally for the last 20 years. I'm 100% sure that the... the teams that employed me – without me bringing any sponsorship money for the majority of those 20 years – did not do so as a DEI hire, or a gimmick, or anything else. It's because I can drive a race car."
Legge finished in 36th at Rockingham. The best finish she had in the Xfinity Series was 14th at Road America in Wisconsin in 2018.
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mercedes' George Russell fastest in second practice for Canadian Grand Prix
George Russell raised hope of a first Mercedes win of the season after he finished fastest in second practice for the Canadian Grand Prix. The British driver, who took pole position in Montreal last year, edged out McLaren compatriot Lando Norris, with Kimi Antonelli underlining Mercedes' speed to set the third quickest time. Advertisement Championship leader Oscar Piastri was only sixth, with Lewis Hamilton eighth, one place ahead of Max Verstappen, who had earlier finished fastest in the first running of the weekend. Russell has been one of the grid's standout performers this season with four podium finishes already under his belt, matching the tally he managed for the entire 2024 campaign. At the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Friday, Russell's lap of one minute and 12.123 seconds was the fastest of the day to leave Norris trailing. McLaren have dominated the campaign so far, but in practice here they appeared to be lacking the advantage which has carried them to seven wins from the nine races staged. Advertisement Norris was in striking range of Russell, just 0.028sec behind the Mercedes man, but Piastri was 0.439sec off the pace, having finished the first practice session in 14th. Lando Norris trailed George Russell by 0.028 seconds in second practice (Evan Buhler/AP) Williams' Alex Albon took fourth, with Fernando Alonso fifth, but the two-time world champion's Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll crashed out. Stroll, who had a medical procedure on a wrist injury which prevented him from contesting the Spanish Grand Prix a fortnight ago, thudded into the concrete wall at turn seven to bring an abrupt end to his session. The Canadian was the day's second major casualty after Charles Leclerc's preparations for the rest of the weekend were dealt a blow when he suffered a heavy accident with just nine laps on the board in first practice. Advertisement The Monegasque crashed into the barrier on the entry to turn four and sustained significant damage to the left-hand side of his Ferrari. The force of the impact sent him sideways and across the other side of the chicane. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc completed just nine laps after he crashed out of first practice (Christopher Katsarov/AP) 'F***,' said Leclerc on the radio. 'Sorry, I am in the wall. My bad. I should have gone straight, but I thought I would make the corner and I hit the wall.' Leclerc's survival cell on his Ferrari needed replacing which sidelined him for the remainder of the day. His accident marked an underwhelming day for Ferrari which will have done little to lift the gloom around the Italian team with Hamilton 0.530 sec slower than the pace-setting Russell.
USA Today
15 hours ago
- USA Today
5 drivers who could replace Max Verstappen if Red Bull star gets suspended
5 drivers who could replace Max Verstappen if Red Bull star gets suspended Drama in the closing stages of the race! 😱 Max Verstappen drops to P10 following a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with George Russell #F1 #SpanishGP — Formula 1 (@F1) June 1, 2025 Max Verstappen is teetering on the brink of a one-race suspension following his reckless run-in with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago. The FIA hit the Red Bull star and four-time world champion with a 10-second penalty in the race, followed by three penalty points on his super license. That means Verstappen enters the Canadian Grand Prix with 11 points total on his super license in total. F1's rules dictate 12 penalty points in a 12-month period trigger a one-race suspension. Fortunately for Max, two of his points will expire at the end of June. Unfortunately, he doesn't plan on changing his driving style at all before then. Which means Red Bull must be prepared for the possibility Verstappen is sidelined if he gets assessed another point. So who drives one of the best cars in the world if Max is out? Here's a look at team principal Christian Horner's best option. Liam Lawson The driver of the No. 30 VCARB car would be a natural selection to slot into Max's seat — especially after he impressed Horner in practice last season while driving a Red Bull, leading the team to cut Daniel Ricciardo to make space for Lawson. Isack Hadjar Lawson's VCARB teammate might be the better driver this season, but would Red Bull really consider messing with something that's working so well? Hadjar is ninth in the driver standings with 21 points — compared to Lawson's four — and even the Paris native is worried about what a call-up might look like. 'It's a bit scary," Hadjar said Thursday. "I wouldn't feel ready. I'm just nine races in. It looks to be complicated when I look at Yuki [Tsunoda] and Liam, who are very quality drivers. So no, I'm not very ready, but I would always be here for the call, that's for sure.' Arvid Lindblad Just 17 years old (until August), Red Bull successfully petitioned the FIA to grant the Formula 2 driver a super license prior to his 18th birthday. That might be all the evidence necessary to anoint the rising British star Verstappen's back-up. Per ESPN's Laurence Edmondson: [Lindblad] is being lined up to take part in free practice sessions ahead of the August break, but will now also qualify as a reserve driver for Red Bull and its junior team Racing Bulls. ...Although the application for Lindblad's superlicence was submitted before Verstappen received three penalty points at the last round in Spain, he would present an alternative to current reserve Ayuma Iwasa, who is currently racing in Japan's Super Formula. Ayuma Iwasa Well, this one should be obvious, but if Lindblad is getting approval to race it sure seems like Red Bull is content to leave Iwasa in the Super Formula car. That said, he's still on Horner's roster and remains a solid option. Daniel Ricciardo Could Red Bull's prodigal son return once again and finally get his storybook ending!? No, don't count on it. Ricciardo hasn't been around the paddock at all lately and it would take a lot from both sides to get the veteran race ready. Still, Horner knows him well and knows what he's getting. If he'd rather put an experienced F1 driver in the car rather than an up-and-comer, there are way worse options.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Katherine Legge feels 'passionate' about NASCAR transition
Katherine Legge has raced anything and everything. Her storied career includes four Indianapolis 500 starts, most recently in 2024. She found success in sports cars, competing in multiple endurance classics, such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. With last month's Indy 500 not on Legge's racing radar in 2025, she switched her attention to NASCAR. It's a move that happened by chance, though she first felt the adrenaline of stock car racing in 2018, making four Xfinity Series starts for JD Motorsports. Advertisement She fell in love with stock cars immediately, with a best finish of 14th at Road America. 'I loved it and wanted to do more, I just didn't know how to go about it,' Legge told about her move to NASCAR. 'I'm lucky that my sponsors pivoted with me and we're all in on NASCAR. 'It was something that I felt incredibly passionate about doing. I have so much fun doing it and am so motivated. I'm working hard at it. I really want to make this home.' RELATED: e.l.f. Cosmetics to sponsor Legge for multiple Cup, Xfinity races The joy for Legge in her first go-around was jostling the heavy cars around road courses. Her oval debut in NASCAR came at Richmond Raceway in 2018, finishing 28th in a 40-car field. Advertisement 'It's super fun to drive the cars; you were wrestling with them the whole time,' Legge reflects on her initial voyage. 'It's like Champ Car — we had to wrestle those beasts around the track. '[NASCAR is] not easy. It's one of the hardest championships to chase in the world because of the strength and depth. There are so many good drivers over here that are widely versed in stock car racing.' Legge began hunting for rides in February when the 2025 season began. She made her Cup debut for Live Fast Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway, though she was initially eyeing Circuit of The Americas one week prior as her first attempt. Her initial race didn't go as planned as she was involved in multiple incidents and contacted Daniel Suárez in the process, ending his day. 'It was a big uphill battle, but I respect the challenge and am not blind that it is a challenge going in with a team that wants to set out to be a entry to people like me into Cup,' Legge said. 'They know where they are at and what they want to achieve. It was going to be my first foray and fly under the radar and that didn't happen. I wanted to use it to gain experience.' Katherine Legge smiles next to her NASCAR Cup Series car. After bowing out of full-time competition, Live Fast team owner BJ McLeod wants to turn his part-time entry into a developmental ride to help rising talent. He's aware of Legge's credentials and hopes to get her acclimated, with their next opportunity slated for Sunday at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Advertisement MORE: Mexico City schedule | Cup Series entry list for Mexico City 'It's the toughest thing that she's ever come across,' McLeod said of Legge adapting to the Cup Series. 'I don't know that she would tell you that, but I can tell you that the group of drivers that get to do [Cup] every week are truly some of the best drivers in the world. All of them are that good. Not one, not 20, not 30, all 36 or however many are there. They truly are that good, and it makes it extremely difficult for her because even if she's equally as talented, she doesn't get to race every week. She is the only part-timer that's trying to get out there, get up to speed and she has very limited stock car experience.' Chevrolet paired Legge with Jordan Anderson Racing in the Xfinity Series following her introduction to Cup racing. The goal was to get the England native more starts. In addition to full-time drivers Jeb Burton and Blaine Perkins, Anderson occasionally fields a third entry. With limited on-track experience, he believes Legge has done a masterful job getting up to speed, even though the results would indicate otherwise. Advertisement 'I know she's been baptized through fire coming in this way,' Anderson said. 'With [25] minutes of practice, it's hard enough to learn a track, let alone a new car. 'The speed is there if we make her comfortable. I've been impressed with her time in the sim and how she adapts and the things she picks up, the time she has spent studying. This isn't a fly-by-night project for her; she's wanting to prove her worth and come in here and learn and do the right things.' It was key that Legge diversified her schedule. She also wanted to run consecutively, beginning with NASCAR's return to Rockingham Speedway. She failed to qualify, but the team struck a deal with Joey Gase Motorsports to field her. She led a lap in her second start at Talladega Superspeedway and was running midpack when she was collected in a multicar incident that began towards the front of the field. She has DNF'd in three of four starts and failed to qualify in the series' most recent race at Nashville Superspeedway. 'It's been good, bad and indifferent,' Legge said. 'I have been taken out in every race in some form or another. The only one that I think was down to me was Phoenix, which started it all. After that, it's been a lot of carnage.' Katherine Legge drives an Xfinity Series car at Talladega. Legge is delighted that her two car owners are fellow racers with McLeod and Anderson. She has leaned on them, along with AJ Allmendinger, whom she's known for two decades, and Xfinity veteran Justin Allgaier. Advertisement Compared to other racing series, Legge believes breaking into NASCAR is the hardest. She has limited oval starts and is going to new venues. The divisions are also stacked with established talent. 'NASCAR is especially challenging for the sheer number of good drivers,' Legge added. 'It's a tough beast to tame, but I'm up for the challenge.' While overcoming multiple hurdles in Legge's short NASCAR stint, she has learned plenty about herself. She is up for any racing task, though she believes she was humbled in some ways. 'I thought that I was a lot better than I am,' Legge admitted with a chuckle. 'I have no doubt that I'll get there. But how quickly? I thought I would drive the car a couple of times and then be up at the sharp end, but it's taking a little longer than I anticipated.' Advertisement The next beast for Legge to tame is the Cup Series' international debut at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez this weekend, again competing for Live Fast. Her second half of the season continues filling up, with Cup starts at the Chicago Street Race, Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Richmond Raceway on the docket. She has a pair of Xfinity Series races left in the No. 32 car at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, though she is trying to bulk up her racing allotment. MORE: Cup Series schedule | Xfinity Series schedule The goals for the upcoming events are to log laps and gain experience. 'Bottom line, I'm not going there looking to outpace anyone,' McLeod admitted. 'What I'm expecting is to go there and give her a solid car so that she can learn and develop her skills and try to get her closer to reaching her goals.' Legge hopes to go full time at some point in NASCAR, though she isn't shutting the door on running the Indy 500 again.
