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Katherine Legge spoke up about the harassment she faced after the disappointing race at the Rockingham Speedway. Her race ended early after an incident in the opening stage with William Sawalich.
Legge was racing in the Xfinity Series as it returned to Rockingham Raceway for the first time in two decades. Replacing JJ Yeley, she was running the #53 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet at the back of the field when William Sawalich closed up in an attempt to lap her. She then left him enough space on the inside of the corner to go past; however, he rammed into her back, and she went straight into the wall, ending the race for her.
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Although it looked more like a racing incident, Katherine Legge was severely criticized by many on the internet. Moreover, she recently revealed that she was also the victim of threats and harassment.
"I want to say that being a woman racing in NASCAR, it comes with an incredible of pride, and obviously it comes with a level of scrutiny and harassment," she said on the Throttle Therapy podcast. "However, I will say the hate mail, the death threats, and the inappropriate sexual comments that I've received aren't just disturbing, they're unacceptable."
"Let me be very clear. I'm here to race, and I'm here to compete, and I won't tolerate any of these threats to my safety or to my dignity, whether that's on track or off of them," she added.
Legge announced earlier this month that she is prepared to participate in 13 NASCAR races this season on a part-time schedule: six in the Cup Series and seven in the Xfinity Series. This comes after she didn't find a seat in IndyCar's Indianapolis 500, where she has marked her presence for the past two consecutive years, as well as in 2012 and 2013.
"I don't have a disappear button on my steering wheel": Katherine Legge on incident with Sawalich
It was a tough weekend for Katherine Legge, who had managed to pull herself up with the pack and was on the lead lap when the incident with William Sawalich happened. Speaking to the media after the end of the race, she explained how she was acquainting herself with the car's pace whilst running and aimed to finish the race when it unexpectedly ended early for her.
"You know what, I was settling in and actually we were doing great," Katherine Legge commented. "I think the car wasn't the car that I was used to driving in practice yesterday so it took me 20 laps or so to get used to it but then we were just hanging with the pack there and I was thinking, okay, I'm getting experience and my goal was just to finish, right?"
She then stated that she does not have a "disappear button" on her steering wheel, commenting on when Sawalich crashed despite her leaving enough space for a car to pass.
"And then when you get taken out and you get hit like that there's literally nothing you can do. So I don't have a disappear button on my steering wheel."
It was a difficult weekend for Katherine Legge. After Sawalich initiated the contact, she also tangled with Kasey Kahne, who was in his first Xfinity Series race since the 2017 season. It hampered his race as well.
