Katherine Legge attempts Indy-NASCAR double

Katherine Legge is set to spend Sunday, May 24, doing one of the hardest single-day jobs in motorsport. The 45-year-old British driver plans to race the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and then fly to North Carolina for NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR and IndyCar said Legge will be the first woman to attempt the “Double,” the pairing of the two races on the same day. ### What exactly is “the Double”? The “Double” means racing 1,100 miles in two different top-level series in one day. The first leg is the 500-mile Indianapolis 500, and the second is the 600-mile Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR called it “one of the most demanding feats in all of motorsports,” while IndyCar described it as one of the rarest challenges in the sport. (nascar.com) Only a small group of drivers has tried it. NASCAR’s May 13 release listed John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson among previous attempts, while IndyCar said Legge would be the sixth driver overall to take it on. IndyCar also said Stewart is the only driver to complete every lap of both races in one day, doing so in 2001. (nascar.com) ### Which cars and teams is Legge driving? Legge is entered in the Indianapolis 500 in the No. 11 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet for HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt Racing. She is then scheduled to drive the No. 78 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports in the Coca-Cola 600. Both series announcements said Chevrolet power and e.l.f. Cosmetics back the effort. (nascar.com) IndyCar said Legge has qualified for all four previous Indianapolis 500s she has entered and is preparing for her fifth start. NASCAR’s release said she made her first NASCAR Cup Series start of the 2026 season at Watkins Glen on May 10. The same NASCAR release said Legge became only the ninth woman to qualify for the Indy 500 in 2012 and set the fastest qualifying speed by a woman in 2023. (nascar.com) ### How tight is the Sunday schedule? The schedule leaves little margin. Indianapolis Motor Speedway lists driver introductions at 11:47 a.m. ET and the Indy 500 green flag at 12:45 p.m. ET on Sunday. Charlotte Motor Speedway lists the Coca-Cola 600 start for 6 p.m. ET the same day. (nascar.com) Yahoo Sports reported there are 5 hours and 44 minutes between the scheduled starts. The same report said Legge’s plan is to leave Indianapolis by helicopter, transfer to a private jet for the flight to Concord, and then take another helicopter into Charlotte Motor Speedway before heading by golf cart to her Cup car. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) ### What has Legge said about the challenge? Legge said the opportunity is rare and the physical demand is obvious. “Very few drivers ever get the opportunity to attempt ‘The Double,’ and I do not take that opportunity lightly,” she said in IndyCar’s May 13 release. She added that the challenge was about “pushing through perceived limits” and “trying to do something unique.” (sports.yahoo.com) Yahoo Sports also quoted Legge describing the concentration required. “You cannot lose focus for a second of any of that,” she said, comparing the day’s workload to a long drive done at racing speed. ### Why is this attempt drawing extra attention? Legge’s run stands out because no woman has previously attempted the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 doubleheader, according to NASCAR, IndyCar, CNN and the Los Angeles Times as cited in the reporting around the event. (indycar.com) NASCAR’s release also pointed to Janet Guthrie’s 1976 trip to Charlotte after failing to qualify for Indianapolis as an earlier milestone for women in U.S. racing, though not a completed Double attempt. (sports.yahoo.com) Sunday’s next step is fixed on the calendar. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has the 110th running of the Indy 500 scheduled for May 24, and Charlotte Motor Speedway lists the 67th running of the Coca-Cola 600 for 6 p.m. ET that evening. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) (nascar.com)