Legge Shines in Brickyard 400 Upset

Driver impresses NASCAR legend with steady improvement

Katherine Legge delivered her most compelling performance yet in the NASCAR Cup Series, finishing 17th at the prestigious Brickyard 400. Her drive marked a significant leap forward since her initial struggles earlier in the season.

Harvick Praises Legge’s Progression

Fellow racer Kevin Harvick lauded Legge‘s efforts on his “Happy Hour” podcast, expressing admiration for her steady development. Legge became only the 21st competitor to race in both the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400.

“She did great. I’ve been super impressed with the progression of her and her performance. I think after the way it started, everybody had a lot of questions of is this just a gimmick. But she continues to get better. I think when you see a finish like this on an oval, we’re going in the right direction. Kudos to her and her team for what they did. … I think the criticism was well deserved and fair. But I also think the kudos are well deserved and fair, too.”

—Kevin Harvick

Despite starting 38th, Legge utilized smart strategy to climb through the field, even running in the top five at one point before her final pit stop.

Testing Policy Hinders Driver Development

Legge has now secured two top-20 finishes in five Cup starts this season, all while navigating unfamiliar tracks in the Next Gen car without prior practice due to NASCAR’s stringent testing policies. Harvick criticized the current system, advocating for more opportunities for new and experienced drivers to acclimate.

Harvick highlighted Legge as a prime example of the system’s shortcomings. He stated that teams’ reluctance to invest in testing, due to costs, hinders driver growth. He believes NASCAR would implement changes if teams agreed, especially regarding testing for younger talent like Legge, Riley Herbst, and Jesse Love.

“The teams are the biggest holdup in the progression of changing things because of the authority they have through the charter agreements. I think NASCAR would change more things if the teams would agree to do that. But the testing policy is another piece of the puzzle that I wish they would adjust a little bit for the rookie and the younger people to have some more of those test sessions. Even if NASCAR says they’re going to have testing sessions at four tracks for whatever days it is, I think that people like Katherine, Riley Herbst, Jesse Love — as different as these cars are to drive compared to [others], even if they took it from the more experienced guys and restructured the testing policy so that it was for the younger drivers to get more developed, I think it would be more beneficial for the sport so it doesn’t take three years to get your Cup driver developed.”

—Kevin Harvick

According to a 2023 report by Motorsport Analytics, the average driver in the Cup Series has over 10 years of experience, underscoring the challenge for newcomers to break into the sport.

Legge‘s recent performance showcases her potential, but her continued development may depend on adjustments to NASCAR’s driver acclimatization policies.