KATHERINE LEGGE’s Cup Series Debut Exposes NASCAR’s Broken Approval Process

March 17, 2025

GRRL! SUMMARY:

KATHERINE LEGGE made history as the first woman to compete in Cup Series since Danica Patrick in 2017, but her Phoenix debut turned into a cautionary tale about NASCAR’s approval process. Despite being an IMSA and IndyCar veteran who holds the fastest qualifying record by a woman at Indy 500, she struggled with just 45 test laps of preparation after being notified only 10 days before the race.
The British driver’s early spin on lap 4 and later accident that ended Daniel Suarez’s race sparked industry-wide criticism of NASCAR’s inconsistent approval standards. Multiple Cup Series champions including Joey Logano and Kyle Busch called out the sanctioning body, with Suarez directly blaming NASCAR rather than LEGGE for the incident.
Despite facing backlash and someone suggesting she might quit, LEGGE fired back with determination: “Hell no. All this does is make me dig my heels in and go, you know what, I’m going to prove everybody wrong.” Her response showcased the resilience that’s made her an icon in IMSA and IndyCar, refusing to let one difficult debut define her NASCAR aspirations.