Katherine Legge spent a decade away from the Indianapolis 500 before making her return to the track in 2023.
Now, she's returning for a second consecutive season to run in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Legge is hoping to improve upon her 33rd-place finish in the race last season. She has some work to do, as she qualified 31st for this year's race after qualifying 29th in the previous event.
But either way, the history-making driver will be on the track come Sunday. Here's what you need to know about the lone woman in the field at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Who is Katherine Legge?
Legge, 43, is a British professional auto racing driver.
But that's not all she is.
According to IndyCar's website, the Guildford, Surrey, native is a Girl Scout STEM Ambassador in her free time. A STEM Ambassador is a mentor for young girls who want to follow the science, technology, engineering or math career paths.
She also enjoys other sports. including skiing, cycling, triathlons and yoga.
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Katherine Legge racing career
Legge has a long motorsports resume. She has been a part of the racing scene since the dawn of the 21st century, participating in Formula 3, Formula Renault, a Formula 1 test, Champ Car, IndyCar, A1 Grand Prix, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), Formula E, NASCAR and sports car racing.
In 2000, she became the first woman to win the pole in a Zetec race. In 2001, she won the British Racing Drivers' Club's Rising Star award.
Her standout moment came in 2005 when she drove in the first three rounds of the Toyota Atlantic Championship. She had moved to the U.S. after running out of financing to continue her racing career. Legge went on to become the first woman to win a developmental open-wheel race in North America, capturing the Atlantic series opener in Long Beach, Calif.
She won twice more that season and finished third in the point standings. Also that year, she became the first woman since Sarah Fisher in 2002 to test a Formula 1 car when she teamed up with Minardi at Vallelunga.
From there, Legge moved up to the Champ Car series. She finished 16th in points in 2006 and 15th in 2007.
Legge competed in 11 IndyCar Series races from 2012-13, without a victory. Her last appearance was in the 2013 Indianapolis 500, where she finished 26th. She was 22nd in the 2012 Indy 500.
She has made two Formula E starts in her career, both in the 2014-15 season. In 2018, she made four starts in NASCAR's Xfinity Series, with three of them coming on road courses. Her best finish was 14th at Road America.
Legge is driving for Dale Coyne Racing in this year's Indy 500. She competed for Rahal Letterman Lanigan last year and was the fastest of the team's four drivers in qualifying:
- Fastest four-lap qualifying average: 231.070 mph
- Fastest one-lap qualifying speed: 231.627 mph
She was the second woman ever to drive for Rahal Letterman Lanigan — Danica Patrick was the first.
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History of women in the Indy 500
According to the Indianapolis Star, nine women have raced in the Indy 500. A 10th (Desire' Wilson) practiced but didn't make the cut, and an 11th (Amber Furst) was denied entry due to a lack of experience.
Below is a look at the women who have participated in the Indy 500, headlined by Patrick, who logged a third-place finish in 2009.
| Driver | Number of races (years) | Best finish (year) |
| Janet Guthrie | 3 (1977-79) | 9 (1978) |
| Lyn St. James | 4 (1992-95) | 11 (1992) |
| Sarah Fisher | 9 (2000-04, 2007-10) | 17 (2009) |
| Danica Patrick | 8 (2005-11, 2018) | 3 (2009) |
| Milka Duno | 3 (2007-09) | 19 (2008) |
| Ana Beatriz | 4 (2010-13) | 15 (2013) |
| Simona de Silvestro | 6 (2010-13, 2015, 2021) | 14 (2010) |
| Pippa Mann | 7 (2001, 2013-17, 2019) | 16 (2019) |
| Katherine Legge | 2 (2012-13) | 22 (2012) |
