05/21/26 02:20:00
Printable Page
05/21 14:18 CDT Katherine Legge is ready make historic attempt to try and
complete racing's 1,100-mile 'double'
Katherine Legge is ready make historic attempt to try and complete racing's
1,100-mile 'double'
By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) --- Katherine Legge missed the Indianapolis 500 media day
festivities Thursday because of a flight delay in New York.
She's hoping it's the only hiccup she has on a potentially historic week.
While Legge is trying to become the first female driver to attempt the one-day,
two-race, 1,100-mile marathon known as the "double" on Sunday, her team has
spent the past week fine-tuning her race-day plans while getting advice from
the most recent driver to attempt the feat, Kyle Larson.
"Hopefully, we get all of the travel woes out of the way now before the
weekend, and this weekend goes smoothly," Legge told The Associated Press on
Thursday. "My management has been speaking with Kyle's management about how to
get the logistics sorted out, how they did it and we're trying our best to copy
and paste what they had and they're just keeping me in the loop."
The difference between the five men who attempted to start and finish the
Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 and the first woman to try it is those guys
had months to fine-tune their race strategy, itineraries, contingency plans and
which race to prioritize if necessary.
Legge's NASCAR team, BRANDed Management, only made its announcement last week.
The English driver's team already has lined up a helicopter ride from the track
to nearby Indianapolis International Airport and a private jet to take her from
Indy to Charlotte on Sunday.
The rest Legge's schedule consists of being in Indy for Friday's final 500
practice, heading to Charlotte for Saturday's qualifications and back to Indy
on Saturday night so she can rest before the scheduled start of the first race
at 12:30 p.m. local time. Whenever Legge's day ends in Indy, she'll head back
to Charlotte for that race's scheduled 6 p.m. start.
But Larson knows better than most how quickly things can change. A four-hour
rain delay in 2024 cost him the chance to make the starting grid in Charlotte
on time, and he crashed out of both races last year after rain forced Indy's
start to be delayed for 47 minutes.
It could happen again. Indy's forecast calls for a 32% chance of isolated
thunderstorms Sunday, though Legge has already decided to stay for the 500 if
she's forced into an either-or decision since she's not a full-time driver in
either series.
"This is a lot, a lot to do in a short period of time," she said. "But I'm very
lucky that I'm surrounded by great people who have put in a lot of work, a lot
of hours to make this possible. It wouldn't be possible without e.l.f.
Cosmetics and Chevrolet, who are providing the vehicles for us to do this and,
obviously, both teams have been awesome and coordinated. So I'm just kind of
lucky."
Only one driver, three-time Cup champ Tony Stewart, has actually completed all
1,100 miles. This year is the 25th anniversary of his feat.
If Legge is going to expand that one-person club, she knows there's not much
margin for error. First she needs to qualify in Charlotte, then she must stay
out of trouble after qualifying 26th on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.5-mile
oval. The weather needs to cooperate and, of course, the flights need to be on
time, too.
Larson's advice: Savor the moment.
"He said to enjoy it and not to stress about it," she said, even though Larson
acknowledged this week he considered the experience extremely stressful.
Will Power, the 2018 race winner and two-time IndyCar Series champion, also
missed media day because of a family commitment. Graham Rahal and Indy rookie
Mick Schumacher were the final drivers to appear because they were playing in
Rahal's annual golf tournament.
Still, Legge is eager to get back to town. Sure, she may be scrambling a bit to
make up for the time lost in New York, and, yes, she'll be dealing with a
challenging, compact schedule. But she's also ready to make this a weekend she
--- and perhaps race fans --- will never forget.
"I'm beyond excited," Legge said. "Like it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to do either the Indy 500 or the Coca-Cola 600 but to be able to do both and do
both on the same day is pretty special, and it's an opportunity I don't take
lightly. It's also very cool to be one of the few who have attempted it, and
I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel Sunday night. Hopefully, I'll be happy
that I've completed all the laps but we'll see."
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
|
