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NASCAR Driver Katherine Legge Issues Statement To CNN

Originally posted on The Spun | By Kameron Duncan | Last updated Mar 19, 2025 10:28 PM ET

The NASCAR Cup Series is heading to Miami this weekend, but many fans and analysts are still discussing the events of the Phoenix race two weeks ago. Christopher Bell won his second race in a row, but a driver who failed to finish is garnering a lot of attention.

Katherine Legge made her NASCAR Cup Series debut at Phoenix, and she spun out twice. She collected fellow driver Daniel Suarez in her second spin, taking him out of the race.

Suarez was upset after the race, but not with Legge. He blamed NASCAR for allowing Legge to drive without a proper amount of stock-car experience.

Legge has been a professional driver in different series for several years, but she had minimal experience in the Cup Series car before her debut at Phoenix.

Former drivers, fans and others have weighed in, but Legge is taking the opportunity to speak for herself.

The 44-year-old driver spoke to CNN, and pushed back on the labels that have surrounded her debut in the sport.

“I never set out to be the representative for women in motorsports. I think that each and every one of us are individuals and we should all be judged on our own individual merit,” Legge said.

“But it comes with a responsibility, and so I try to do the very best job with that that I can. I see videos of young girls watching the race and thinking they can be anything they want to be when they grow up because they see a girl driving a race car and that’s what makes it worthwhile, making an impact on those lives is really special and means the world to me.”

ALTON, VA - AUGUST 19: Katherine Legge, of Great Britain, throws a hat to fans after Michelin GT Challenge IMSA WeatherTech Series race at Virginia International Raceway on August 19, 2018 in Alton, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Cleary/Getty Images)Brian Cleary/Getty Images

Legge also said that she doesn't consider herself a trailblazer in the same way that other women were before her.

“Back in the day, the Janet Guthrie’s and the Lyn St. James’ of the world, they were the ones who were really breaking barriers,” she said.

“There was no female restroom in the pits back then. Right now, I’m just trying to be a racecar driver. It’s not like I feel like I’m any different.”

Legge struggled in her first race, but she says that she "loves" NASCAR and sees a future for herself in the sport. We'll see what she has in store for her second career Cup Series race, whenever she gets another opportunity to participate.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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