“The most meaningful partnership I have ever seen” -Katherine Legge’s Indy 500 initiative wins major awards

Katherine Legge's 2024 Indy 500 collaboration with cosmetics brand e.l.f. Cosmetics has bagged two international awards. e.l.f. became the first such brand to sponsor a driver in the history of the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing".

The 108th running of the Indy 500 in May this year was Legge's fourth. She drove the #51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda and was the only woman on the 33-driver grid. Before the race, e.l.f. Cosmetics, with whom she partnered in 2023 to uplift women on and off the track, held an interactive experience for the race attendees.

It included race-themed features, including a pit crew of "glow-up" artists, a DJ, and limited-edition merchandise. To top it all off, the beauty brand deployed 500 drones for the Indy 500's first-ever drone show.

On December 5, the campaign won two Clio Sports Awards at the ceremony held in New York - one in the Experience/Activation category and another in the Fan Engagement category. The Clio Awards celebrate and honor excellence in the advertising industry across the globe.

Katherine Legge expressed her pride on her partnership with e.l.f. and said (via RACER):

"The e.l.f. Cosmetics collaboration was by far and away the most meaningful partnership I have ever seen in racing from a female perspective. I am beyond proud to represent a brand that cares so much about the same things that I do, and am very much looking forward to doing more great and meaningful things with them to change the landscape of racing."

Before the race, Legge also shared her minimalistic race-day beauty routine. She said (via People):

"I keep it clean and keep it simple. I don't like when I look over made-up."

The British driver also said female racers don't need to conform to what is expected of racing drivers. She said:

"You can be a woman and you can be feminine, but you don't have to conform to what typically equates to race car drivers. This whole girl power movement where everybody's supporting each other is at the forefront, and it's really special to be a part of it."

e.l.f. Beauty CMO Kory Marchisotto said "she was very emotional and cried several times" upon witnessing the response from young girls to Katherine Legge running in this year's Indy 500.

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Katherine Legge teases "really cool plans" for the 2025 IndyCar season

Katherine Legge at an MLB game: APR 27 Guardians at Braves (Source: Getty)

Katherine Legge has had a trailblazing racing career. She spent her early junior racing career in Europe, competing in Formula 3, Formula Ford, and Formula Renault. After she moved to America in 2004 when finances fell short to continue racing in Europe, she witnessed quick success.

In 2005, Legge won the season opener in the Toyota Atlantic Championship, becoming the first woman to win an open wheel race in a developmental series in North America.

Legge then went on to compete in IndyCar in 2012 and 2013 before switching to the IMSA Sportscar Championship in 2014, where she still races. In 2023, she returned to IndyCar with Rahal Letterman Lanigan to compete in the Indy 500.

In 2024, Dale Coyne Racing signed her for the Indy 500 and fielded her for six more races in the second half of the season. In an interview with James Hinchcliffe after the season finale, Legge spoke about her 2025 plans. She said:

"I'm hoping to do the (Indy) 500 again. We actually have some really, really cool plans that I can't discuss with you at the moment. But it's gonna be a big year. It's gonna be exciting" [15:15].

The veteran driver added:

"Some are IndyCar-related, some are not. There are no plans to do full season as of yet, although I really want to. For our partners and for e.l.f, it makes a lot of sense to do the races that get a lot of attention."

Katherine Legge's 2024 Indy 500 was marred by a mechanical failure on her #51 Honda. Her car started emitting smoke on lap 23, leading to her race ending prematurely.