Katherine Legge gains ground with resilient drive at Sonoma NASCAR Cup round
- RACERS
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
Just one week after her historic top-20, Katherine Legge delivered another solid drive at Sonoma, overcoming limited track time and mechanical issues earier in the weekend to run as high as 20th and finish 31st, continuing her steady progress in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Just one week after her breakthrough performance on the Chicago Street Course—where she became the first woman in eight years to score a top-20 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series—Katherine Legge returned to action at Sonoma Raceway for another road course challenge, aiming to build on her momentum. The British racer had impressed with a storming recovery drive to 19th place in Chicago, her personal best in the series, and looked to again put her vast road racing experience to use in California.
However, the weekend presented new hurdles. With limited track time in practice and a brake issue discovered ahead of qualifying, Legge was forced to sit out Saturday’s session. As the only open entry in the field, she was guaranteed a spot on the grid, giving the team extra time to work on repairs. Still, the lack of laps would make Sunday’s race a demanding task for Legge, who entered just her fourth Cup Series start.
Starting from 37th on the grid, Legge approached the race with her usual clean, calculated style. The opening laps were tidy throughout the field, and Legge stayed in touch while avoiding unnecessary risks. Despite struggling with some power issue in the earlier laps, she gradually found her rhythm and improved her lap times into the 1:18s during the first stage. Though she finished Stage 1 in P37, she crucially remained on the lead lap and used the caution to pit for adjustments.
The second stage marked a significant upturn in pace. Legge steadily closed the gap to the cars ahead, setting her fastest lap of the race to that point with a 1:17.610 and climbing to 35th by Lap 38. She began catching Erik Jones and Cody Ware and ran as high as P22 while staying out longer during green flag pit cycles. Her consistency paid off, and she ended Stage 2 in 22nd—a well-earned gain that had the team encouraged.
A full service stop followed, dropping Legge to 34th ahead of the final stage. She made a clean restart as others hit trouble, with the first full-course caution of the day coming after contact between Chris Buescher and Ryan Blaney sent the latter off at Turn 1. Legge moved into 33rd and pitted for fresh tyres and fuel, as the team prepared for a strategic run to the finish.
As the race resumed with 45 minutes to go, Legge began a disciplined stint focused on fuel saving. Holding her own in 35th, she fended off Erik Jones while closing in on Cody Ware and Denny Hamlin. On Lap 76, she executed a clean overtake on Ware for 31st and built a gap, continuing to run strong and consistent lap times in the 1:18.0 range.
As the leaders pitted, Legge climbed into the top 20 once again, running P20 by Lap 84. She later slipped to 28th as others on fresher tyres worked through the field, but held on with her racecraft.
With 15 laps remaining, Cody Ware lost a wheel, bringing out a late caution. Legge, now struggling on old tyres, dove into the pits for four fresh tyres and a splash of fuel, setting up a final sprint to the line. She restarted P34 with 11 laps to go.
The restart was chaotic, with several cars tangling at Turn 7. Legge reacted quickly and took to the dirt to avoid contact, keeping her car clean while six others were caught in the melee. Another restart followed with seven laps to go, but the action was again short-lived as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashed into the barriers, bringing out another yellow.
When the green flag waved for a four-lap shootout, Legge made the most of it. She climbed up to 31st, avoided further incidents, and battled cleanly with Bubba Wallace and Carson Hocevar—defending from the latter on the final lap to hold her position at the line.
Though the final result of P31 may not reflect the full scope of her effort, Legge’s run at Sonoma was another important step forward. She showed much improved pace, and great determination—especially during an impressive second stage where she ran as high as 20th.
In a weekend that began with minimal track time and mechanical setbacks, Legge’s progress continued with another solid performance, as she keeps adding valuable mileage and experience in her NASCAR Cup Series chapter of her career.
Additional reporting: Linda Lam
