KATHERINE LEGGE Stands Alone Against Threats at NASCAR Xfinity BetMGM 300

May 22, 2025

by Kim Elsesser // from www.forbes.com

• KATHERINE LEGGE stands as the sole woman in this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300, facing a disturbing wave of violent threats and sexually explicit harassment that’s forced NASCAR to assign her security detail and alert local law enforcement. The veteran racer, who became the fastest woman to qualify for the Indy 500 in 2023 and made her Cup Series debut in March as the first woman since Danica Patrick in 2018, refuses to let the toxicity derail her focus.
• Drawing from decades of experience across IndyCar, sports cars, and international endurance racing, LEGGE shares battle-tested strategies for thriving in hostile environments—starting with embracing discomfort as a growth catalyst. Her breakthrough came from literally showing up at Cosworth headquarters uninvited to demand a meeting with CEO Kevin Kalkhoven, despite feeling “physically sick” and crying afterward, proving that the things that terrify us most often yield the biggest rewards.
• After years of trying to “blend in with the men,” LEGGE now champions authenticity over assimilation, even learning to embrace her initial resistance to e.l.f.’s pink sponsorship car when she saw how women rallied around the representation. She’s committed to lifting the next generation of female racers while firmly opposing segregated women’s series, arguing that competing against the best is the only path to becoming your best—with allies like Marco Andretti calling out the “grown men talking badly about bad ass girls like this.”

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