Katherine Legge makes waves after her ‘dream come true’ move to NASCAR Cup Series with Live Fast Motorsports

Katherine Legge, a 20-year veteran of motorsports, has announced her arrival in the highest level of NASCAR, the Cup Series. Live Fast Motorsports announced on Monday (March 3) that Legge will make her Cup Series debut this weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

Legge will drive the #78 Chevrolet for the BJ and Jessica McLeod-owned Live Fast team in Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix. DROPLiGHT, a full-service venture studio, will serve as the primary sponsor for her Cup debut ride.

In a team release, Katherine Legge expressed her excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to make her NASCAR Cup Series debut, calling it a dream come true moment for the 44-year-old female driver.

Legge said (via Jayski.com):

“Entering the NASCAR Cup Series is a dream come true. 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.”

On Sunday (March 9), Katherine Legge will become the first female driver to make a NASCAR Cup start since Danica Patrick, who wrapped up her NASCAR career in the 2018 Daytona 500.

The British driver has competed in different disciplines of motorsports across the globe, including the Xfinity Series, IndyCar Series, United SportsCar Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, Formula E, European Le Mans Series, and ARCA Series. Three weeks ago, she made her ARCA debut at Daytona International Speedway with Sigma Performance Services, where she finished 39th.

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Live Fast co-owner reacts to having versatile Katherine Legge at Phoenix

Katherine Legge is one of the few female drivers who has competed in a male-dominated sport. She's one of nine female drivers to compete in the prestigious Indy 500. In 2023 she achieved the record of scoring the fastest qualifying effort by a woman in the Indy 500’s history. She's also the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America, achieving this feat in 2005.

Expressing his emotions on singing the praises of the most versatile and experienced female driver like Legge, here’s what Live Fast Motorsports Co-Owner & CEO Jessica McLeod said:

“We’re happy to partner with Katherine for this race. The opportunity to have such a versatile and dynamic championship-winning driver join our program is exciting for everyone on our team. This partnership reflects our commitment to providing opportunities for drivers making their way into the NASCAR Cup series in the Next Gen era.”

It will be interesting to see how Katherine Legge copes with challenges at the 1-mile Phoenix track on her Cup debut.