Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn’t hold back his feelings on Katherine Legge’s Cup debut nightmare: “It does not help that she’s in such a poor car”

Katherine Legge’s NASCAR Cup Series debut ended in disappointment, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t hold back on his feelings about what contributed to her tough day. Dale Earnhardt Jr. pointed to Legge’s underperforming car as the central factor in her struggles.

On his Dirty Mo Media podcast, he acknowledged her effort but made it clear her vehicle didn’t give her a fair chance. He shared,

“She ran five Xfinity races, in a couple years…I gotta say this man, it does not help that she's in such a poor car, it's a poor car. So she's in a car that doesn't do a lot of things right, and we don't have any practice.” [41:10 onwards]

Legge, 44, made her Cup debut at the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway, driving the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports. She became the first woman to race in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick in 2018. Legge’s day ended early after a late-race crash with Daniel Suárez while running in 28th place.

Earnhardt Jr. also stressed how the lack of practice adds to the challenge for drivers like Legge, especially in less competitive cars. He pointed out that top drivers with stronger equipment can skip practice without consequence, while those in slower cars are left without a chance to improve.

“The lack of practice and the problems that that creates is glaring and it's in our face every other week,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “There’s a lot of drivers, namely guys that are in the top third of the field that don't need practice... They’ve got great cars that are probably gonna hit the racetrack and handle well and be fast. Practice doesn’t do anything but tighten the field up and give the rest of the field an opportunity to improve.”

Legge remained optimistic despite the rough outing. She described the race as a baptism of fire and praised her team’s effort.

“I think there's a lot of positives to take from it. Obviously, there were mistakes made, but I learned so much and hopefully I get to come back and do it again,” she told Fox Sports (via WCVB).

She has competed in different racing disciplines from IndyCar to sports cars. As per what she’s told the media, she hopes the experience will help her improve if she gets another shot in the Cup Series.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaks out in support of Joey Logano in penalty debate

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also weighed in on a controversial penalty given to Joey Logano during the Phoenix race, defending the Team Penske driver and calling NASCAR’s decision too strict.

On lap 14, Logano crossed the yellow line before the start/finish line during a restart, leading to a drive-through penalty. Dale Earnhardt Jr. argued on his podcast that officials should’ve handled it differently.

"That would have been a moment to say, 'Look, man. We're not going to torpedo Joey's day over about 12 inches of asphalt. He didn't gain anything from it.' It would have been a good time to say, 'Alright, everybody, we're sending out a warning. The #22 car was aggressive there. Stop doing it,'" Earnhardt Jr. said. (via Dirty Mo Media's X)

His co-host, TJ Majors, disagreed, arguing that Logano gained an advantage. Dale Earnhardt Jr. held firm, calling the decision nitpicky.

Logano served his penalty from first place on lap 20, dropping to 37th. He fought back and finished 13th, leading his Team Penske teammates.