Katherine Legge isn’t new to high-pressure racing. She’s taken on IndyCar, IMSA, Champ Car, Formula E, and now, the ultimate challenge: the NASCAR Cup Series. Legge thought she understood what it takes to compete at the highest level, but NASCAR showed her just how tough the fight really is. What does it actually take to survive in the Cup Series, and how does Legge feel now that she’s battled through her first campaign?
How Did Katherine Legge’s NASCAR Cup Series Experience Change Her Perspective?
Legge has started six races so far in the NASCAR Cup Series, with Richmond Raceway set to be her seventh and final appearance of the season. Although she made some previous starts in the Xfinity Series, Legge soon learned that the Cup Series is a different world entirely. She finished outside the top 30 in four out of her six starts.
The 45-year-old driver recently joined the Stacking Pennies podcast, chatting with NASCAR tire changer and host Ryan Flores about her views on what NASCAR looks like to outsiders, and how reality compares after getting behind the wheel herself.
Legge, on this said, “I think the perception is pretty accurate. I think people realize that it’s one of the most competitive championships in the world purely because of the strength in numbers. You can look at IndyCar, you can look at IMSA, and you can say, okay, there are 12 or 14 really good drivers there, and there are 20 really good drivers here. Then you look at Cup, and if you’re not really good, it spits you out really fast. There are 35 really good drivers in the Cup Series. I think everybody in racing knows and respects that.”
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This speaks volumes, and Corey LaJoie, Flores’ co-host, knows it first-hand. After several years in the Cup Series, LaJoie lost his ride last season with Spire Motorports because of a lack of results. Now, he doesn’t have a full-time spot in the Series. Across 276 starts, LaJoie managed only four top-five finishes, and he never grabbed a win.
Plus, NASCAR doesn’t let up if you aren’t meeting expectations. Harrison Burton, for example, had a rough Cup campaign last season and now finds himself back in the Xfinity Series racing this year. Daniel Suarez is another driver in a tough spot, sitting in the hot seat and facing an uncertain future. The pressure hangs over Cup Series drivers every weekend to get results.
Legge pointed out that just making it to the Cup Series means a driver is already very good. But once there, they must prove they are the best among the best just to keep their spot.
The actual racing is only part of the grind. Legge has realized there is a lot more going on behind the scenes. “I think it’s interesting from being on the outside looking in. One of the things was, ‘Holy crap, you guys race every single weekend.’ How do you do that? How do you keep the motivation and not get completely burnt out? I don’t think we all realized what happens behind the scenes, that you have multiple cars, multiple teams, people back at the shop, and different people flying in for different events and everything else,” she added.
After battling with some of the best drivers in stock car racing throughout the 2024-25 Cup Series, Legge understands how tough it is to make it at NASCAR’s top level. Only time will tell if she returns to the Series in 2026, and if this tough learning curve changes how she races next time.