Katherine Legge – Syndication Server

Auto racing driver Katherine Legge in images

Turning heads on the track

Legge to remain in Coyne’s No. 51 for Nashville

Katherine Legge’s year of resurgence in the NTT IndyCar Series will see its final chapter written at Nashville Speedway, where she’ll pilot the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda. “I’m grateful to Dale for letting me drive the oval races this season,” …

Katherine Legge’s year of resurgence in the NTT IndyCar Series will see its final chapter written at Nashville Speedway, where she’ll pilot the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda.

“I’m grateful to Dale for letting me drive the oval races this season,” Legge said. “I can’t wait to close out the season at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend. We have some good momentum going after our doubleheader in Milwaukee so hopefully we can keep it up and put together another strong weekend for the team.”

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With the former Dragon Racing team in 2012, Legge completed 10 IndyCar races before turning most of her attention towards sports cars. With six races scheduled in the No. 51 entry, Legge has seen her IndyCar career regain its momentum thanks for the reunion with Coyne, for whom she drove in the Champ Car series, and the introduction of a brand-new sponsor to IndyCar in the cosmetics brand e.l.f.

Indy 500 Bump Day delivers drama in spades once again

Katherine Legge summed up the totality of her first experience of being at risk of failing to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 after being relegated to the Last Chance Qualifying session on Sunday along with Marcus Ericsson, Graham Rahal, and Nolan …

“Terrifying,” the Dale Coyne Racing driver said. “I feel sick and shaky and like I want to cry.”

The shakes and onset of tears visited the other three drivers in the LCQ, and when the one-hour session was over, it was her young teammate, 19-year-old rookie Nolan Siegel, who was bumped from the field of 33 after crashing on the final attempt to make the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing.”

“I’m fine, but I don’t really care if I’m fine at this point,” Siegel said. “That’s somewhat irrelevant. We’re going home because we did everything we could, and I think we can be very proud of that. I did the first run, and the balance was fine. If anything, it felt pretty maximized on the trim but we knew we had to have more speed; there was no speed in it as I was flat out for four laps and on the limit of being too loose and crashing the car. We took downforce out of it because we were going to be out of the race anyway. I wasn’t going to go home without lifting. It was the last run in qualifying and I was going to go flat, and I went flat. I hit the wall because we went too far but we tried.

“I want to thank the team for all their hard work. I appreciate everything the team has done. They wanted it too. It’s not like I was the only one in this. They wanted it as well and they worked really, really, really hard for a long time. Big thank you to them. They’re not thanking me for doing a good job. Everyone did a good job. I know ultimately the result doesn’t reflect that, but they worked really hard and I’m super appreciative of all the effort they put in. We were in it together; it’s like family.”

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Legge, Ericsson, and Rahal survived to fill out the final row of 11.

Rahal was understandably relieved to be in the show, but wasn’t cheering over how it happened. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Siegel in a RLL car in the near future based on the respect he’s earned from Rahal and his father Bobby Rahal.

“Today was similar to last year,” he said. “We knew he had the speed to get in and look at how close it is. Kat, Marcus, and me — the same time in essence. It’s a game of thousandths around here. If I can say anything, it’s just ‘Great job’ to Dale Coyne Racing because honestly, they were able to successfully find a lot of speed. If you looked at where Nolan was on Friday and even yesterday, they closed the gap to us considerably as we kept losing pace. We were hanging on by a thread. I’ve been talking about that plenty. Kat did a wonderful job finding a couple of miles per hour — something we have not been able to do, frankly. Those guys put up a valiant effort.

“Nolan. Most of you guys don’t know his name but you will. He’s won in every class and category he’s been in. I’ve watched him. I’ve known the kid for 10 years. He was a little, little guy then. But you’re going to know his name in the future. He’s a winner and will be winning at this level sometime soon.”

Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner, nearly botched his chance to make it into the race after slowing at the conclusion of his third qualifying lap—one lap early—and having to make another attempt to get into the race.

“That was extremely tough, but this place just brings everything out of everyone,” the Swede said. “Today, I was sitting here waiting in pit lane for the chance to go out and get a speed to even make it into the race. It was just very tough mentally, but we did it. I’m very proud of my team. They’ve been fighting so hard the last few days and to finally get the reward of having the chance to fight in the race means a lot.

“The car has been a challenge since we had to go to the backup, but the team worked extremely hard trying to improve it and make it better. Today we had a car that should have safely put us in a guaranteed spot, but I made a mistake on the first run, so we had to dig deep. It was not easy in this heat to go for a second run but we made it work and pulled it off.”

Rahal, Ericsson, Legge, Siegel staring down Bump Day at IMS

Either Marcus Ericsson, Katherine Legge, Graham Rahal, or Nolan Siegel will fail to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. For two of the at-risk drivers, it’s hard to fathom how they’ve ended up among the four slowest drivers vying for the …

Either Marcus Ericsson, Katherine Legge, Graham Rahal, or Nolan Siegel will fail to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

For two of the at-risk drivers, it’s hard to fathom how they’ve ended up among the four slowest drivers vying for the three available starting spots that are up for grabs as Rahal, who was bumped from the field one year ago, is once again relegated to the Last Chance Qualifying session with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The biggest shock of all came with 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, whose backup Andretti Global car just hasn’t been able to muster the same speed as his quicker teammates.

Dale Coyne Racing, the smallest team in the IndyCar Series, is also represented in the LCQ with Legge and Siegel, whose crash on Friday forced him into a spare car that has none of the aerodynamic or mechanical drag reduction techniques applied that would allow the car to post more competitive speeds.

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The quartet, all using Honda power, were between 0.497mph and 4.479mph shy of being safe in the top 30.

“For us, it’s flipped,” Rahal, who was 0.868mph from avoiding the LCQ, told RACER. “To start the week I was the quickest [RLL] car by what I thought was a little bit of a margin. All of a sudden, it’s not only swapped, but now I’m a mile an hour off, which makes zero sense at all. So we have to go back and look, and for sure when you look at and go, ‘RLL is in the same place,’ well, we’re not in the same place because the same place was five miles an hour off of Ganassi last year; we’re not five. But for sure, the Chevys are fast. It’s just a shock.”

For Ericsson, the crash on Thursday set his current situation in motion. If there’s a saving grace, it’s the fact that he was the fastest of the four slowest drivers heading into the LCQ.

“It’s strange that what we see out on track doesn’t match up with what it should be,” the Swede said. “It’s a backup car. For sure, [it’s] not ideal, but it shouldn’t be so far off. Our primary cars, our teammates are up there. We have fast cars and the team has been really, really doing a good job, so we don’t really understand how we can be struggling so much, but we have tonight to try and find out and then go out tomorrow and try and deliver.”

Katherine Legge returns for second straight Indianapolis 500 in 2024

Katherine Legge will return for her second straight Indianapolis 500 driving the No. 51 car for Dale Coyne Racing in 2024.

[autotag]Katherine Legge[/autotag] is returning for her second straight Indianapolis 500 in 2024. On Tuesday morning, [autotag]Dale Coyne Racing[/autotag] announced that Legge will drive the No. 51 car as she attempts to make her fourth Indianapolis 500 in late May. The 43-year-old driver competed with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in last year’s event and finished in 33rd place after an accident.

Legge also competed in the 2013 Indianapolis 500 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for a 26th-place finish. However, her best finish in the event came with Dragon Racing in 2012 after a 22nd-place effort. Legge will now attempt to make her fourth Indianapolis 500 for a fourth different team. She has been successful on ovals during her IndyCar career outside of the Indianapolis 500, too.

BREAKING NEWS: @katherinelegge will pilot the No. 51 for @DaleCoyneRacing in the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500.#INDYCAR // @IMS

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 9, 2024

The hope is that Legge can make the event and push for her first top-10 finish in The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. This is the first time in over a decade that Legge is going for back-to-back starts in the event. The expectations shouldn’t be too high since Legge doesn’t race in IndyCar much, but she has proven she can finish in the top 10 spots on an oval.

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Coyne confirms Legge for Indy 500

Dale Coyne Racing with RWR has confirmed its pairing with Katherine Legge as the driver of its No. 51 Honda for the Indianapolis 500 with sponsorship from e.l.f Cosmetics. She’ll join rookie Nolan Siegel in the No. 18 Coyne Honda, and makers her …

“We’re pleased to welcome Katherine back to our team after all these years. She’s had a good career since she first drove for us in 2007 and we can’t wait to start working with her again for this year’s Indianapolis 500,” said Dale Coyne. “We’re also excited to be part of this historic partnership with e.l.f. at the Indy 500. We look forward to working with them and making them proud in May.”

According to the team, e.l.f. will become the first primary sponsor of a car entered in the Indy 500 that represents the cosmetic industry.

“Katherine is a bold disruptor with a kind heart. She is a force driven by positivity, inclusivity and accessibility,” said CMO Kory Marchisotto. “She takes to the track motivated to pave the way for future drivers who might not currently see themselves behind the wheel at big races. Her presence is helping to shape the future culture of racing. We are proud to sponsor Katherine as a beacon of limitless possibilities.”

With Legge officially aligned with Coyne, the Indy 500 has 34 driver and team pairings, leaving Abel Motorsports as the last known entrant to declare its formal plans. Minus Abel, and weather permitting, 34 cars are expected to be in action on Wednesday and Thursday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy Open Test.

Legge and Monk continuing with Gradient in IMSA GTD for 2024

Katherine Legge and Sheena Monk will continue their partnership in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD competition with Gradient Racing, adding Tatiana Calderón for the Michelin Endurance Cup races. Stevan McAleer will join them in the No. …

“I’m heading into 2024 with a new respect and understanding for what it means to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and ultimately, what it takes to be successful,” Monk said. “We are bringing a powerful driver lineup with vast experience across many disciplines of racing, which I believe will prove invaluable to our outlook across the season.

“I’m eager to build on the strides I’ve made alongside Katherine, as well as working with the skill and energy that Tatiana brings, and finally sharing the car with Stevan’s indomitable competitive spirit. The team members at Gradient Racing have proven on many occasions that they are ready for anything and it gives me the motivation to keep striving for more. When you assemble the right pieces, the rest falls into place.”

“I’m thrilled to build on the progress and potential that the entire Gradient Racing team showed in the 2023 season, and attack 2024 alongside Sheena in our JG Wentworth Acura NSX GT3 Evo22,” said Legge. “There were many positive takeaways in our debut year, and Sheena stepped up to the big leagues with strength and grace. We all know what we can do better and as a team we are coming into the new season with renewed vigor and passion to get the job done.

“I’m super excited to have Tatiana on board with us for the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds. She is an exceptionally skilled driver with a very impressive racing pedigree, and I have full confidence that she will be an excellent addition to our squad. We’re also thrilled to have Stevan with us for the Rolex 24 — having him join us strengthens our chances as he has the speed and tenacity we need to go fight for those watches!”

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Versatile Colombian racer Calderón has prior experience in various international series including the WeatherTech Championship, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the European Le Mans Series, FIA Formula 2 and the NTT IndyCar Series.

“I’m super thankful to the whole Gradient Racing team for this opportunity,” said Calderón. “I’m very excited to team up with Sheena, Katherine and Stevan for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. I have competed at Daytona once and I loved the atmosphere and competitive spirit of this incredible race. The team did an amazing job last year and I hope we can build on it to hopefully be on the podium. I’m really looking forward to sharing the car with them and getting familiar with everyone as soon as possible. Can’t wait to get started!”

McAleer is also no stranger to competing across numerous championships, accumulating back-to-back championship titles in Pirelli GT4 America and Fanatec GT World Challenge America. The Scottish racer also finished third in the GTD championship last season, while also competing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.

“I’m very excited to be joining Gradient Racing for the Rolex 24 with Sheena, Katherine, and Tatiana,” said McAleer. “This event is such a thrill and I believe this car and program has the potential to fight for the GTD class win. I’m greatly looking forward to driving the Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 and I can’t wait to get up to speed quickly at the Roar Before the 24 and have a better understanding of where we stand against the rest of the field. I would like to express my thanks to JG Wentworth for this excellent opportunity and I’m happy to be able to work with team owner Andris Laivins once again.”

The team is participating in the IMSA homologation test at Daytona International Speedway this week in preparation for the 2024 season, which gets underway at DIS with the Roar Before the 24 on Jan. 19-21, followed by the Rolex 24 at Daytona the following weekend.

GTs in the spotlight a welcome change for IMSA racers

This weekend’s GT-only event at Virginia International Raceway presents a unique opportunity for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD PRO and GTD competitors – the chance to race head-to-head without worrying about prototype traffic getting …

This weekend’s GT-only event at Virginia International Raceway presents a unique opportunity for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD PRO and GTD competitors — the chance to race head-to-head without worrying about prototype traffic getting involved. And while some drivers may rue the lost opportunities of a prototype opening the door for them to make a pass on a GT competitor, most like having the spotlight to themselves.

“I think for us, we feel like the black sheep of the family with GTP being a new category this year and new class and being so exciting,” says Katherine Legge, driver of the No. 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 (pictured above) with Sheena Monk. “I think that, especially for television, they tend to focus on that, and I don’t think that we get the recognition in the GT class that we always deserve, because there’s some epic battles that go on. I think you miss the nuances of who’s doing what, why and where, especially with the Bronze class. I think that kind of gets lost in the whole big picture.”

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IMSA oldtimers will remember the days when, at most races outside the endurance events, there were separate GT and prototype races; GTP and Lights had their race, preceded at some point during the weekend by race for the GTO and GTU categories. Now, the opportunity for GT drivers to enjoy their own race happens only once or twice a year, and while most of the drivers love multi-class racing, there are times when having everyone on the track on equal footing can make the racing interesting as well.

“It’s pretty epic, to be honest. I am a huge fan of multi-class racing, the challenge of having the GTPs and P2s around you is fun and adds another element to the race,” says Vasser Sullivan Racing driver Ben Barnicoat, who shares the No. 14 Lexus RC F with Jack Hawksworth. “But I think having GTs and, driving for a brand like Lexus, it helps put us a lot more in the limelight in terms of viewership when the nation and public are tuning in and watching and just seeing our cars and the brands and manufacturers race outright for wins. It is very attractive in that sense, you know, because our RC F GT3, if we win on Sunday, they can go out and buy one on Monday, whereas with the top-class racing, they don’t do that. So I think it’s incredibly important for the sport and for GT racing on a whole, and certainly something that I don’t want to see being reduced in the future.”

Legge is also aware of the more direct connection that GTs have to the public compared to the prototypes. She has, as most GT drivers have, seen the enthusiasm that derives from an enthusiast seeing his or her brand competing on track.

“I remember when I was a race fan as a kid, and I would go to Brands Hatch with my dad and I would watch touring cars. There was a Renault Laguna there and my mom had a Renault Laguna, so of course I really want the Renault Laguna to win,” she recalls. “And I feel like you can be a Porsche fan or you can be an Acura fan, and you can say, ‘Well, I had an Acura when I was a kid,’ or ‘One day, I want to have a Ferrari,’ or whatever it may be. So you really kind of get that buy-in from the fans, and I think that it’s more direct and more pure when it’s just the GT cars out there.”

Without prototypes constantly trying to get by, GT drivers like Trent Hindman are free to focus fully on their races. Motorsport Images

And the racing is different. With GTD PRO and GTD both GT3 classes and having the same Balance of Performance equations, the two classes are mixing it up in equal cars. There’s no faster class roaring through the field and constantly disrupting a driver’s rhythm.

“The fact that this is a GT-only round also takes some pressure off our shoulders and allows us to race forward, uninterrupted,” says Trent Hindman, sharing the No. 77 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R with Alan Brynjolfsson.

The 2h40m Michelin GT Challenge kicks off on Sunday at 2pm ET, broadcast live on USA Network and streamed on Peacock. For those outside the U.S., it will be available on IMSA.com.

Legge to run limited NASCAR Xfinity program with SS GreenLight

Katherine Legge will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for four races this season in SS GreenLight’s No.07 Chevrolet, beginning with this weekend’s Henry 180 at Road America. She will also be entered in the upcoming races at Indianapolis Motor …

“The Indy 500 made me realize that life and racing careers are too short not to go for it,” said Legge, who made her first Indy 500 start in a decade in May with Rahal Letterman Lanigan.

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“My interest and passion is to continue to break new ground in motorsports. I’ve been proactive over the last year in thinking about what I want to do in my career and how I can accomplish those things. I’m so thankful to [SS GreenLight team co-owner] Bobby Dotter for the opportunity; and to Wayne Auton, Mike Helton, and Jim France for welcoming me back to NASCAR, especially at one of my favorite tracks, Road America.”

Legge, who currently competes full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series driving the No.66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3, made four NASCAR Xfinity series starts in 2018 with JD Motorsports, earning a best result of 14th at Road America.

Alongside Legge, Monk seeing the upside of IMSA GTD rookie seesaw

Sheena Monk is one of several drivers in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class in their first season racing GT3 cars, in her case having moved from Michelin Pilot Challenge GS. But among those, she and veteran Katherine Legge are higher in the points, sitting just outside the top five overall as the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park weekend began. Teamed up in the No. 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22, there have been a couple of top-five finishes, notably a fourth in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, where Marc Miller and Mario Farnbacher joined the party. But with some performances that Monk and Legge consider sub-par, they’re a bit surprised where they are in the standings.

“I think that we’ve had an up-and-down season so far,” said Legge (pictured at right, above, with Monk). “High point being probably Daytona and Watkins (Glen), low point being Sebring. I think we had a couple of bad races with Long Beach and Laguna, honestly, too. So the fact that we are sixth in points is incredible to me. I think we do salvage some finishes out of our bad fortune, for want of a better word. But I think the potential for us to be better is great.”

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Looking at the GTD rookies, Monk is at the top. Patrick Gallagher, teamed with Robby Foley, is two points ahead heading into CTMP, is also in his first full season of GTD, but has a fair amount of GT3 experience. And in the Trueman-Akin Award standings for the top Bronze driver in GTD, Monk is second behind Brendan Iribe. She is, however, quick to disavow full ownership of that position.

“There are a a lot of other factors at play,” she declares. “I drive with other people that … I say they play clean-up, but I have to give them the car in the first place. Unfortunately, at Laguna I didn’t do my job in that sense and we really had a chance. I guess I look at it like I’ve got a team of guys that have incredible pit stops. And we’ve been really solid on our driver changes; those things matter. So I can’t say, OK, yeah, I’ve been like the best of the newbies to show up.”

Monk says her qualifying could be better. “It’s something that I’m focusing on, because I feel that if I’m further up in the field from the qualifying, and the track position is better, I will be less likely to be around the incidents that happen early in the race,” she says while Legge nods in agreement. But she acknowledges that there are many things she’s still learning about driving a GT3 car, with all the aerodynamic grip the NSX adds over the GT4 cars she’s driven previously.

The first time she felt the compression in Turn 6 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was a revelation, Monk notes. That adds to the ever-growing knowledge base of what a GT3 car does differently than what she’s raced before. The accumulation of knowledge will certainly add to her pace, but there’s some mental components that will enable her to apply that knowledge, Legge says.

As well as the different characteristics of her Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22, Monk is incorporating lessons about racing’s mental game from her veteran teammate. Perry Nelson/Motorsport Images

“I think Sheena’s tendency is to under-drive up to the (limit) rather than cross the line and bring it back, whereas a lot of newer drivers that that haven’t driven GT3 cars before have the confidence to go out there and go over the line and under the line and over the line — play with that line,” Legge explains. “We’ve been working a lot on how do we get her to go out and be up on the wheel, push straight away — even if you make mistakes, be confident, and comfortable being uncomfortable, and bringing it back to to where you want it to be. Because then you get there quicker rather than taking little bites out of it. She has the skill and the ability; it’s all mental.”

Monk acknowledges that she likes to build up in her time in the car, and with limited practice time on the weekends, that’s been holding her back. It’s also one of her issues with qualifying, where she has 15 minutes to get the job done. Asked to grade herself on her performance in the season so far, stuff like that has her being a pretty harsh self-judge.

“I’m not satisfied, frankly. But if if you’re here and if you’re not winning, I think everybody feels that way,” Monk says. “So I don’t know if that’s reflective of me specifically. I think everyone in here is so competitive that you have high expectations. You believe in yourself and you believe in the team that you’re with. So, that might seem negative, but I think it’s a healthy answer and a healthy response from somebody that’s competitive and just wants to win.

“But I’m also cognizant of the fact that that takes some time. So I don’t think, especially for how long I’ve been racing — I haven’t been in this for so long that by no means I expect to show up and win; I understand how wildly competitive this field is. I just think that for myself, maybe a little less incidents, maybe a smidge more pace and consistency. Maybe I’m being a little hard on myself. But I think with time we’ll be there.”