Katherine Legge will be making her NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend at the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway. This marks the first time a female driver has started a race in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick competed in 2018.
With only 37 cars confirmed on the entry list ahead of this weekend’s race, it ensures that each of the drivers entered will be racing come Sunday. This includes Christopher Bell, who held off William Byron last week to win his second consecutive Cup Series race at the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas.
In an exciting end to the race, Bell was followed past the checkered flag by Byron, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Busch, in that order.
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Now, as we reach the fourth race of the 2025 season, Legge will drive the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports DROPLiGHT Chevrolet Camaro under the crew chief David Ingram.
Patrick, who made a name for herself in 2010 in the Nationwide Series – now renamed to Xfinity Series – is currently a motorsport pundit for Sky Sports F1 and has recently become active in the political space, voicing her support for President Donald Trump.
She became the first woman to win a NASCAR Cup Series pole position at the 2013 Daytona 500, but finished 8th. She continued to have a four-year career in the sport, leaving in 2017. In both 2015 and 2016, she finished 24th in the Drivers’ Standings, her best result. In 190 starts, she achieved no wins.
Legge is looking forward to her joining the sport:
“Entering the NASCAR Cup Series is a dream come true,” she said in a statement. “I’m excited to team up with Live Fast Motorsports for Phoenix, and to represent our sponsors DROPLiGHT and Sherfick Companies.
“Racing stockcars has been an incredibly fun and new challenge that’s given me a renewed sense of vigor for this sport. As always, I’m grateful for the opportunity to do what I love and am inspired by all of the effort, preparation and behind the scenes work it takes to get here.”
Taking to Road & Track, she added that she is entering the race with realistic expectations.
“I have to prove competence at the end of the day, right?
“I don’t think anybody expects me to go out and set the world on fire and be competitive because it’s the most competitive championship in the world.
“I just don’t want to make any mistakes and look silly or look incapable. I think the competitiveness will come with experience.”
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