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Katherine Legge has had an impressive racing career, even if she's never made it to the podium in IndyCar or to a top 10 finish in NASCAR.
The British driver and open wheel veteran made the transition to America's stock car circuit in 2025, making the leap others like John Andretti, Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart had before her. Now, she's trying to pull off a piece of history like only Stewart has done before; the exhausting feat of completing both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.
The back-to-back races, known in the racing world as "Double Duty," has been attempted a dozen times, but never by a female driver. If Legge can fit in 1,100 miles of racing with a flight from Indiana to Charlotte, North Carolina in between, she'll make history as only the second driver to ever complete both races, joining Stewart in racing lore.
Here's how it could happen.
12:45 p.m. ET: Legge starts the Indy 500. In a relatively wreck and caution-free race, Legge can finish the 500 in under three hours -- though a handful of races the past two decades have gone for more than three and Scott Dixon won the 2008 event in just under 3:30.
Just finishing the race is a concern. Mechanical issues and an early crash limited the Brit to just 63 completed laps in her last two starts at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She was seven laps off the lead in 2013, the last time she put together a full performance at the 500.
Around 3:30 to 3:45 p.m. ET: Legge is whisked to a jet waiting to transport her from Indianapolis to Charlotte. Time in the air here is about 70 minutes. Factor in transportation to and from the airport, taxiing and other concerns and, best case scenario, she'll be at Charlotte Motor Speedway somewhere between 5:15 and 5:30.
6 p.m. ET: Coca-Cola 600 begins, barring any weather or procedural delays.
That's an extremely tight window that depends on a fast race in Indianapolis and a little transportation luck. In 1999, Stewart was the first person to pull off the double after finishing ninth at the Brickyard in a race that ran for 3:15. In 2001 he was sixth in a race completed in more than three-and-a-half hours. Legge will be at a disadvantage if she makes it to Charlotte, however; drivers who miss a mandatory meeting two hours before a NASCAR race are sent to the back of the starting field.
The triumph of Double Duty, however, is not winning but finishing. Legge will be the first female driver to attempt it. At 45 years old, she'll be the oldest. While she's been unable to stamp her name on IndyCar podiums so far, she can still leave an indelible mark on American auto racing on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Indy 500: How can Katherine Legge pull off historic Double Duty?
Continue reading...
The British driver and open wheel veteran made the transition to America's stock car circuit in 2025, making the leap others like John Andretti, Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart had before her. Now, she's trying to pull off a piece of history like only Stewart has done before; the exhausting feat of completing both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.
The back-to-back races, known in the racing world as "Double Duty," has been attempted a dozen times, but never by a female driver. If Legge can fit in 1,100 miles of racing with a flight from Indiana to Charlotte, North Carolina in between, she'll make history as only the second driver to ever complete both races, joining Stewart in racing lore.
Here's how it could happen.
12:45 p.m. ET: Legge starts the Indy 500. In a relatively wreck and caution-free race, Legge can finish the 500 in under three hours -- though a handful of races the past two decades have gone for more than three and Scott Dixon won the 2008 event in just under 3:30.
Just finishing the race is a concern. Mechanical issues and an early crash limited the Brit to just 63 completed laps in her last two starts at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She was seven laps off the lead in 2013, the last time she put together a full performance at the 500.
Around 3:30 to 3:45 p.m. ET: Legge is whisked to a jet waiting to transport her from Indianapolis to Charlotte. Time in the air here is about 70 minutes. Factor in transportation to and from the airport, taxiing and other concerns and, best case scenario, she'll be at Charlotte Motor Speedway somewhere between 5:15 and 5:30.
6 p.m. ET: Coca-Cola 600 begins, barring any weather or procedural delays.
That's an extremely tight window that depends on a fast race in Indianapolis and a little transportation luck. In 1999, Stewart was the first person to pull off the double after finishing ninth at the Brickyard in a race that ran for 3:15. In 2001 he was sixth in a race completed in more than three-and-a-half hours. Legge will be at a disadvantage if she makes it to Charlotte, however; drivers who miss a mandatory meeting two hours before a NASCAR race are sent to the back of the starting field.
The triumph of Double Duty, however, is not winning but finishing. Legge will be the first female driver to attempt it. At 45 years old, she'll be the oldest. While she's been unable to stamp her name on IndyCar podiums so far, she can still leave an indelible mark on American auto racing on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Indy 500: How can Katherine Legge pull off historic Double Duty?
Continue reading...
