NASCAR driver laments ‘unacceptable’ social media comments

Professional driver Katherine Legge has done a lot to make her mark on the sport of auto racing.

She holds the record for the fastest qualifying time for a woman in the Indianapolis 500. She was the first woman to win an open-wheel race in North America. She was also the first woman to be inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame.

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Katherine Legge signs autographs before the start of a NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway, March 9, 2025, in Avondale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb, File)

But the British driver revealed in a podcast episode that she’s received “death threats” from fans after she was involved in a crash during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham last weekend. The incident also involved veteran driver Kasey Kahne.

“Let me be very clear, I’m here to race and I’m here to compete, and I won’t tolerate any of these threats to my safety or to my dignity, whether that’s on track or off of it,” Legge said during the “Throttle Therapy” episode.

She added that “the inappropriate social media comments I’ve received aren’t just disturbing, they are unacceptable.”

Legge became the first woman in seven years to start in a NASCAR Cup Series race when she made the field in Phoenix. The Xfinity Series race was her second of the season. She was thrust into J.J. Yeley’s car as she was bumped off the starting grid because of ownership points.

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Legge moved off the pace in the race when William Sawalich got into the back of her vehicle and sent her spinning. Kahne had nowhere to go and ended up running into her at the bottom of the track in Turn 1. Legge explained she was hit too hard, which caused her to spin around.

As for the social media comments, Legge pushed back on claims she was a “DEI hire” or anything less than just a “gimmick” driver who didn’t really earn her spot.

Katherine Legge is a professional driver from Britain. (AP)

“I have earned my seat on that racetrack,” Legge said. “I’ve worked just as hard as any of the other drivers out there, and I’ve been racing professionally for the last 20 years. I’m 100% sure that the… the teams that employed me – without me bringing any sponsorship money for the majority of those 20 years – did not do so as a DEI hire, or a gimmick, or anything else. It’s because I can drive a race car.”

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Legge finished in 36th at Rockingham. The best finish she had in the Xfinity Series was 14th at Road America in Wisconsin in 2018.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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