In a sport dominated by male drivers, seeing a female driver rise through the ranks is always an empowering moment for female fans.
Over the years, several women have entered NASCAR and set records in the sport. However, the stock car racing genre currently has only a handful of active female racers, including Katherine Legge, who just made her second start in the NASCAR Cup Series.
While Legge’s trip to Mexico was not her most successful run, the No. 78 driver had a pivotal moment in the contest when she drove by one of the most dominant drivers in the Cup Series.
Katherine Legge’s Run in NASCAR So Far
Legge’s 2025 season has been a little underwhelming so far. While she is not on a full-time schedule, she runs several races in NASCAR’s top tiers. Her renewed partnership with e.l.f. Cosmetics also greatly facilitated her NASCAR career.
After the brand announced its association with Legge for the Viva Mexico 250, too, she became a topic of discussion for a while.
Legge will drive for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport in her Xfinity outings and Live Fast Motorsports in her Cup races.
In her four Xfinity starts this season, Legge’s best finish came at Texas, where she started 36th and finished in the 32nd position. Besides that, just one week before that, at Talladega, Legge led her first lap in NASCAR, becoming the fourth female driver in the Xfinity Series to lead a lap, though the day ended with a DNF (did not finish) due to a late-race incident.
She even made her Cup Series debut this year at the Phoenix Raceway in her No. 78 Chevy. However, a wreck on Lap 216 significantly damaged her car and translated to an early departure for the driver.
Legge’s Second-Ever Race in the NASCAR Cup Series
The next on Legge’s list was the race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Ahead of her second-ever Cup Series race, she spoke to NASCAR and admitted to being humbled after a few weeks of tumultuous racing in NASCAR.
She said, “I thought that I was a lot better than I am. I have no doubt that I’ll get there. But how quickly? I thought I would drive the car a couple of times and then be up at the sharp end, but it’s taking a little longer than I anticipated.”
Then came D-Day, when Legge started the Mexico City race at the very end of the pack in the 37th position. The No. 78 driver steadily gained spots and finished Stage 1 in the 23rd position. By the end of Stage 2, she was up three more spots to 20th.
A significant incident occurred when the No. 78 Chevy went up against the No. 5. Kyle Larson, whose car had sustained significant damage due to the multi-car wreck on Lap 8, was running almost at minimum speed when Legge battled him head-to-head.
The No. 78 car eventually won and took a pass at Larson’s Chevy. Legge’s crew was quite excited after the event and hyped up Legge in her second Cup Series race: “He might be damaged, but you just passed 1 of the best drivers in the series right now.”
#78 Crew pumping Katherine up as she races with #5 Larson
“He might be damaged, but you just passed 1 of the best drivers in the series right now”
Legge still having a clean day in 31st right now
— Colby Evans (@StartAndParkCar) June 15, 2025
Legge eventually finished in the 32nd spot, while Larson took the 36th despite logging the fastest lap of the day at 93.78 seconds.
However, even that finish didn’t come without a wrench; Legge claimed her pedal was stuck to her foot, restricting her ability to maneuver the car.