Katherine Legge secures personal best Indy 500 grid spot ahead of historic “Double”

Katherine Legge secured her best Indianapolis 500 qualifying position of her career to date, securing 27th place on the grid for the 110th running of the iconic race, and setting the stage for a historic motorsport challenge.

Photo credits: Chris Owens

Katherine Legge secured her best Indianapolis 500 qualifying position to date on Sunday, securing 27th place on the grid for the 110th running of the iconic race, and setting the stage for a historic motorsport challenge.

Driving the #11 Chevrolet fielded by HMD Motorsports & A.J. Foyt Racing, Legge recorded a four-lap average of 229.456 mph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, earning her best-ever Indy 500 starting position as she prepares to become the first woman in history to attempt the legendary “Double” - competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

After rain washed out Saturday qualifying, the entire Indianapolis 500 grid was finalized on Sunday. With exactly 33 entries and no Bump Day for the first time since 2020, all cars were already locked into the field, allowing teams to focus entirely on race preparation and long-run speed rather than qualifying survival.

For Legge and the HMD-A.J. Foyt Racing operation, a delay in the opening day meant a limited track time, as the British driver had dealt with a car-related issues. However she entered Sunday with some encouraging pace in some of the practice runs.

By random draw, Legge was assigned the final qualifying attempt of the afternoon.

When her turn came, however, Legge delivered an impressively solid four-lap run: her opening lap reached 230.398 mph before backing it up with laps of 229.802 mph and 229.111 mph. Despite some drop-off on the fourth and final lap at 228.521 mph, the four-lap average of 229.456 mph secured 27th place on the starting grid.

The result marked the best Indianapolis 500 qualifying performance of her career, improving on her previous best starting position of 29th achieved in 2023, when she also set the fastest qualifying speed ever recorded by a woman at the event.

Legge will line up on the ninth row alongside Romain Grosjean and Kyle Kirkwood for what will be her fifth Indianapolis 500 start.

But that's going to be just one piece of the puzzle: the 45-year-old British racer is in fact now preparing for one of the greatest challenges in motorsport history. Immediately after the conclusion of the Indianapolis 500, Legge will travel from Indiana to North Carolina to compete in NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway later the same evening.

Her mission will make her the first woman ever to start both races on the same day, one of only six drivers successfully starting the 1,100-mile “Double” in history. She joins a select list that includes John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson. Legge will also become the first non-American driver ever to attempt the feat.

Photo credits: Walt Kuhn

At Indianapolis, she will race the #11 Chevrolet for HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing, while her NASCAR effort will see her pilot the #78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports, and will be her first NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile oval.

Legge has meanwhile become increasingly familiar with NASCAR Cup machinery over the past two seasons, having competed in seven NASCAR Cup races for Live Fast Motorsports in 2025, and returned behind the wheel at Watkins Glen in 2026. Among the highlights were two particularly impressive top-20 finishes at both the Chicago Street Course and the Brickyard 400.

Her dual-program effort is backed by e.l.f. Cosmetics, which continues its support of Legge across both her INDYCAR and NASCAR campaigns.

The “Double” remains one of the most difficult challenges in motorsport. Of the previous attempts to complete all 1,100 miles across both races, Tony Stewart successfully finished every lap, accomplishing the feat in 2001, following a similar result for Donnie Allison in 1970.

Widely regarded as one of the most versatile racers of her generation, Legge’s career spans INDYCAR, NASCAR, IMSA and endurance racing. She has scored victories in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, competed full-time in IndyCar, and raced at 12 editions of the Rolex 24 at Daytona among the others.

Legge is only the ninth woman ever to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 field and once again will be the sole female driver in this year’s 33-car grid.

Despite the historic significance of the upcoming attempt, Legge has consistently emphasized that her motivation comes from competitive ambition rather than from the gender milestone itself.

“I don’t think of it as this huge thing I’m doing as a woman, I’ve always thought of myself as just a race car driver,” Legge said ahead of the event.

Her attempt will nevertheless carry undeniable historical meaning, as Legge prepares to write another groundbreaking chapter for women in motorsport.