Brave New World

How British racecar driver Katherine Legge is breaking gender barriers in motorsports

Before sliding into the No. 78 Chevrolet and flooring it to over 200 miles per hour, professional racecar driver Katherine Legge secures her pink-and-purple helmet. 

For over 20 years, from go-karting in her youth to the NASCAR Cup Series, every time she has put her foot on the gas, she has bucked norms and set new standards for women in motorsports. 

“It has not been an easy path, to walk the tightrope of being feminine and authentic, but also professional and all-business has been hit or miss,” Legge says. Before racing in the big leagues, she says she has had to balance leaning too much on her feminine side with not embracing it enough.

“Early on, I never wanted to highlight my feminine side, because I was always beating the drum that I was just another race car driver,” she says. “Now, I’m just me. I am a racecar driver who happens to be female.”

Learning to love the sport

Legge’s love of racing began in the 1990s, in her hometown of Guildford, Surrey, England, just southwest of London. It was the golden era of go-karting, and Legge’s speed and skill quickly established her as a winning competitor. 

As with many careers, she’s had to climb a ladder. Before car racing, she spent years in open-wheel racing. In 2005, she made history as the first female to win an development open-wheel race. The following year, she debuted in IndyCar and tested for Formula One (F1), proving that she belonged among racing’s best. 

But the path wasn’t always easy—or even intentional. “That variety of disciplines was born from two things: necessity and the love of racing,” Legge says. “I didn’t have the support to buy my way into top teams, so every opportunity mattered—I had to impress to earn the next chance.”

And impress, she has. In 2025, Legge became the first woman since Danica Patrick to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. “That meant a lot. Personally, I loved NASCAR racing, and it was something I had longed to do, but I hadn’t figured out how to break into the different paddock. It also made me more versatile, a better marketing prospect, and an improved driver.”

Still learning, still getting better

She has tackled some of the most harrowing circuits, from the Indianapolis 500 to the high-octane "Race to the Clouds," speeding nearly 5,000 up Pikes Peak in Colorado. “All of them have pushed me, just in different ways,” she says. “Even after 20 years in professional racing, I am still learning, being challenged, and pushing myself. I’m also still getting better.”

Last year, she also raced the Brickyard 400 at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway, becoming the second woman in history to compete in the event. Though she focuses on her craft, being a “first’ at every turn also carries a cultural responsibility. 

“I hope younger women and girls believe they can do anything they set their minds to, as long as they believe in themselves and work really hard.”

Recently, Legge teamed up with e.l.f. Cosmetics, a partnership that made her the first racecar driver to bring a female-focused beauty brand into motorsport brand sponsorship.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say that it changed the face of motorsport,” Legge says. When she sported a pink car for the Indy 500 in 2024, she witnessed a pro-women movement across the board. "But most importantly with the fans,” she says. "The female fans have been ignored for decades, and in one swoop, with a revolutionary sponsorship, we made motorsport inclusive."

The female fans have been ignored for decades and, in one swoop with a revolutionary sponsorship, Legge made motorsport inclusive.

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About the Author

Virginia Brown is a freelance journalist, writer, and editor with nearly 15 years of editorial experience. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Atlas Obscura, Southern Living, AAA Traveler, Apartment Therapy, and more. She holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School and a B.A. from UNC–Chapel Hill, is a professional member of ASJA, and lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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