Katherine Legge, competing in her seventh race of the season, faced a tough race at the 2024 IndyCar season finale, which ended prematurely due to an accident. Her part-time return to the series nevertheless showed progress - and the British racer is already seeking opportunities to return in 2025.
Entering the 2024 IndyCar season finale, the title battle was between three rivals—Alex Palou, Will Power, and Scott McLaughlin—though Palou and Power emerged as the main contenders once the race began. Palou, needing only to finish 11th to secure his third title in four years, ultimately clinched the championship.
But it was also a significant race for Katherine Legge, who returned behind the wheel of the #51 e.l.f. Cosmetics Dale Coyne Racing Dallara for her seventh race of the season, having run a part-time campaign in 2024, limited to ovals.
Coming off her best finish in IndyCar since 2012, with a 15th place at Milwaukee Mile's second race, Legge aimed to keep momentum and finish the season with another solid finish. Unfortunately, the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix ended prematurely for the British racer, caught in an accident when midway through the race.
It had been a tough weekend up to that point for the Dale Coyne Racing driver, as the team struggled to get the car up to speed in the previous sessions.
In the first practice session, Legge had started to log positive laps in first part of the session, which was then disrupted by an accident for Nolan Siegel. Legge was sixth fastest as the session resumed but fell to P25 by the end, as times dropped quickly, finishing 0.9 seconds behind pace-setter Palou - and matching the times of her Dale Coyne Racing teammate Harvey.
In qualifying, Legge set an average speed of 193.081 mph over two timed laps, ending up 25th, though grid penalties allowed her to start 22nd.
On race day, Legge made a strong start, gaining two positions and settling into P22. Meanwhile, Palou moved up the field from his 24th starting position, while Power's title hopes suffered an early blow when he had to pit on lap 13 due to a loose seat belt, losing five laps.
Legge ran as high as P21 by lap 12 but soon encountered traffic from the leaders. Her pace on the option tyre deteriorated and she had to pit on lap 34 for a tyre change, rejoining the race in P26 on the prime tyre.
A yellow flag came out on lap 56 due to Felix Rosenqvist's crash, and following the restart, Legge battled with Graham Rahal and improved her pace. However, on lap 85, Pietro Fittipaldi passed Legge, causing aero wash that pushed her up towards the wall. The contact with the barriers broke her suspension and ended her race after 85 laps.
After the race went back to yellow for the third time due to Marcus Ericsson's contact with the wall, Pato O'Ward took the lead. O'Ward stayed in front into the final stages, while Newgarden dropped from second to fourth, reporting vibrations in the car.
In the end, a lapped car proved decisive for the victory, as Herta was finally able to pass O'Ward for the lead, winning the final race of the seasib ahead of O'Ward, with Newgarden finishing third. However, it wasn't enough for Newgarden, as Palou had secured enough points to claim his third IndyCar title ahead of Herta and McLaughlin. Power, who entered the weekend second in the standings, dropped to fourth in the championship.
Despite the disappointing end to the season, Legge had a positive return to the series, completing seven races—the most she's ever raced in a single IndyCar season.
She tackled the extremely tough task of jumping in the deep end mid-season, in one of the most high-quality fields in all motorsport.
After running the Indianapolis 500 last year, Legge was back for a multiple race program for the first time since 2012, however secured her third top-15 finish in career and made progress despite a team that has to maximise its budget. Running part-time made it extra difficult to find the right balance with the car and engineers, but Legge still managed three top-20 finishes.
One notable highlight was the involvement of her sponsor, e.l.f. Cosmetics, which increased its support after the Indy 500 and made a significant impact with its activation campaign in IndyCar. The brand in fact capitalized on the growing and diverse fanbase, leaving a strong impression in the series.
Looking ahead, Legge is already seeking opportunities to return to IndyCar in 2025.
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