“I want to stay out of trouble and show respect,” Katherine Legge quipped ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series race in Phoenix. The British motorsport driver has been on a racing spree this year, having run the Chili Bowl and the ARCA race at Daytona. But ahead of her Cup Series debut, she outlined a clear goal in her mind. Unfortunately, her wish turned into ashes during the Shriner’s Children 500 race.

As Katherine Legge wielded her Next-Gen car among a field of experienced NASCAR drivers, she ran into trouble twice. Yet the veteran racer is still determined to leave a mark, crossing her fingers for more chances in the stock car racing series.

Katherine Legge laments a damaged run

While Katherine Legge initially wished to run at Circuit of The Americas, given her road racing background. But the paucity of time landed her on the short 1-mile oval track. Wheeling the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports car, she kicked off the race in 37th place, and chaos struck her only four laps in – she spun off of Turn 2 at the rear of the field. Legge incurred little damage, so she was able to continue. Yet, she had to make frequent pit stops as her car kept encountering problems. Eventually, she ended the race with a disappointing 30th place DNF, but she cherished the experience.

Overall, this was a tough rite of passage that Katherine Legge had to take before thinking of any serious NASCAR career. She wants to glean the benefits: “Baptism of fire. You know, I think there’s a lot of positives to take from it. Obviously, there were mistakes made but I learned so much and hopefully, I get to come back and do it again.”

Reflecting on the race in particular, Legge was visibly upset as she could not accomplish what she had set out to do. “It was a really rough start,” she said. Then Legge revealed the huge mistake her team had made the previous night. “We made some changes to the car overnight, and they were awful. I was hanging on like the first stint; I was so loose, and I was just hanging on to it. Then we kept making adjustments, and we kept making the car way more stable for me.”

Although the pit stops made it a little easier for Katherine Legge, she did not expect another bout of chaos awaiting her. On lap 214, Legge spun off of Turn 2 again as Josh Berry lapped her. This time, Daniel Suarez got thrown into the mix, hitting the No. 78 and incurring major front-end damage. Legge reflected on the run to the second debacle: “Then at the end there I think we were relatively quick compared to the field. So, it wasn’t bad. I wish we hadn’t made the changes, but you know, we’re trying to find some pace, and we’ve found it throughout the race, but it was a rough start.”

Katherine Legge obviously did not have a smooth weekend. As her wish to run without trouble did not turn out true, so did her wish to keep a low profile.

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Marking a big milestone for NASCAR

Well, women in NASCAR have always been a rarity. Beginning with Sara Christian, who competed in the sport’s first race in 1949, the female legacy has been small. NASCAR’s modern era has featured eight women so far – with Katherine Legge occupying the eighth spot. What’s more is that she became the first woman to run a Cup Series race in seven years. Danica Patrick was the last one before her to run the 2018 Daytona 500. So, Legge was already setting a big milestone for the sport. Yet the racer wished to keep a low profile. But that was in no way possible – as her start coincided with the International Women’s Day weekend.

Legge confessed to ‘Racer’ ahead of her start in the Shriner’s Children 500: “I’m going to admit this, and I probably shouldn’t use these words, but I’m going to anyway. I said, ‘I’m going to fly under the radar for my first Cup race. Nobody is going to notice. We’ll just be in the back. We’ll chill. We’ll get NASCAR permission.” However, as soon as she realized it was Women’s History Month, her hopes came crashing down. “Then somebody was like, ‘It’s International Women’s Day on Saturday,’ and I said, ‘Oh, [expletive].’ There is no way I’m flying under radar.” Katherine Legge also displayed a few fireworks at Phoenix Raceway, being involved in multiple cautions and eventually wrecking out. This nullified her wish even more.

Although Katherine Legge could not fulfill her wishes, she is a legend of the sport. And who knows, maybe she will tie up with NASCAR for a few more Cup race starts. Would you want to see Legge at a more conventional road course that suits her style of racing? Let us know in the comments!