Katherine Legge will not make qualifying time for Sonoma Cup Series race

Due to a brake issue that was found during practice, Katherine Legge will not make a qualifying time at Sonoma Raceway. Legge is racing the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevy once again. Last week, she earned a P19 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicago.

Katherine Legge has had ups and downs this season. Her performance last week at Chicago in the 78 car was nothing short of impressive. To put Live Fast in the top-20 of a non-drafting track is amazing enough. To do it on a road course is unheard of, really.

Last week, Legge came from the rear of the field after having to make unapproved adjustments. She will have to do the same again on Sunday if she wants to repeat her impressive performance from last week.

Good news, Katherine Legge will make the field. There are fewer than 40 entries this week and that means that Legge doesn’t have to worry about missing out on the race. Last week, she had to qualify her way into the Chicago Street Race. She beat out Corey Heim for the final Open spot in the field.

This season, Legge has raced three times in the Cup Series. She has also raced five times in the Xfinity Series, with a couple of DNQs. Her race at Chicago was by far her best in any NASCAR car. While she has a P14 from Road America in 2018 in the Xfinity Series, I would put top-20 in the Cup Series over that, for sure.

Katherine Legge looking to follow up on success

If Katherine Legge can score another top-25 finish this weekend, I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that she has learned quickly in the Cup cars. No, her oval racing is not up to snuff. But if she can make herself a reliable road course ringer for these Open and small budget teams, that would be a good niche for her.

Legge has faced a ton of criticism this year. She has faced threats and horrible comments about herself from online trolls. But she’s still showing up to the track, and she expects to be competitive relative to her equipment level. Would it be shocking to see Legge maybe land an upgrade in her ride for 2026 if she keeps at this NASCAR thing?

Sonoma is not going to be as action-packed as Chicago. Things will be more strung out through the field. Perhaps equipment failures and things of that nature will create cautions and restarts, but Legge can’t rely on that. She’s going to really have to race her way forward if she wants to repeat her success.

Let’s see what happens first, but Katherine Legge may be starting to turn a corner in these Next Gen cars. We will see what happens in the race after this Live Fast car is repaired. Will her equipment allow her to race to the middle of the pack? It’s hard to say.