IndyCar News: Katherine Legge to drive Coyne #51 in Iowa twin bill

Katherine Legge will return to Dale Coyne Racing with RWR for this weekend’s pair of oval races at Iowa Speedway as part of the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race weekend.

“I’m thrilled to be behind the wheel of an IndyCar at the Iowa doubleheader this weekend,” said Legge. “We had a successful test there last week, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how the races unfold on the new surface. I’m grateful to Dale Coyne and Honda and so happy to be back in the 51!”

Team owner Dale Coyne added: “We’re looking forward to having Katherine back in the car with us at Iowa this weekend. She did a good job for us at Indy and we had a strong test at Iowa Speedway last week with both Katherine and Jack (Harvey). We’re excited to see what the doubleheader weekend in Iowa brings.”

In May, Legge championed a one-of-a-kind effort with e.l.f. Cosmetics becoming the first-ever beauty brand to serve as a primary sponsor of an entry in the 108th running of the Indy 500 in May 2024. In June, she placed fifth in class in the 102nd running of The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb as a rookie in the Acura Integra Type S DE5, reaching the 14,115-foot summit in 10:51.359 – just three seconds off the front wheel drive record.

Katherine Legge at Indy 500. Photo courtesy of Penske Entertainment: Karl Zemlin

With the old adage that motorsports is the only sport where men and women can compete on an equal playing field, Legge sits at the very top in motorsports as the ONLY FEMALE driver in the big three: NTT INDYCAR Series, the NASCAR Cup Series, or Formula One.

She became the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America in 2005, when she claimed victory in the ‘triple-a’ Atlantic Championship developmental series. Other women who claimed victory after Legge along the road to the Champ Car World Series and/or the INDYCAR SERIES include: Simona de Silvestro who also claimed victory in the Atlantic Championship in 2008 and 2009, Ana Beatriz & Pippa Mann who both won in Firestone Indy Lights in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Now, in the modern era, the final steppingstone in American open-wheel racing before turning pro is Indy NXT, where Jamie Chadwick claimed victory at Road America in June 2024.

Legge turned pro in 2006 and competed in the Champ Car World Series (now INDYCAR) in both 2006 & 2007, where she became the first woman to lead laps in the Series when she took the lead at the Milwaukee Mile and went on to secure her best finish in the Series with sixth place. She also competed in 10 INDYCAR Series events in 2012 and became just the ninth woman to qualify for the Indy 500, following Janet Guthrie who was the first in 1977. Legge also competed in the Indy 500 in 2013, and for the 2023 Indy 500, she set the fastest one-lap (231.627 mph) and four-lap (231.070 mph) qualification speeds for a woman in the history of the race.

The Hy-Vee Homefront 250 & Hy-Vee One Step 250 double header races will be shown on NBC on July 13 and 14, with opening practice set for Friday, July 12, 2024.