Katherine Legge attempts Indy 500/Coke 600 Double

Katherine Legge is attempting one of racing’s hardest same-day assignments on Sunday, May 24: the Indianapolis 500 in Indiana and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in North Carolina. The 45-year-old British driver is the first woman to try the Memorial Day weekend “Double,” a two-race run that covers more than 1,100 miles across two series and two cars. NASCAR said on May 13 that Legge would drive the No. 11 Chevrolet for HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt Racing at Indianapolis and the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports at Charlotte. The Athletic reported on May 23 that weather and schedule disruptions compressed her preparation this week and made an already tight plan harder to manage. ### How rare is this, exactly? NASCAR said only five drivers had attempted “The Double” before Legge: John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson. That makes Legge the sixth overall and the first woman to make the attempt, according to NASCAR’s May 13 release. (nascar.com) The same NASCAR release said the challenge requires a driver to compete in two of the sport’s marquee events with “virtually no recovery time” between them. Yahoo Sports reported the trip from Indianapolis to Charlotte is about a 70- to 90-minute flight, and that any delay in Indianapolis can tighten the window before the evening NASCAR start. (nascar.com) ### Which cars and teams is Legge driving for? Legge is entered in the Indianapolis 500 in the No. 11 Chevrolet for HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt Racing, according to NASCAR and IndyCar. IndyCar’s driver page says the 2026 race is her fifth Indianapolis 500 start. (nascar.com) At Charlotte, NASCAR said Legge is driving the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports in the Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR’s release said the same sponsor, e.l.f. Cosmetics, is backing her across both events. ### Why was her preparation compressed this week? The Athletic reported on May 23 that weather delays and schedule changes cut into Legge’s training timetable ahead of Sunday’s attempt. (nascar.com) The report described a week in which endurance planning, seat time and logistics had to be handled on a more compressed schedule than expected. USA Today reported qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 was canceled, though Legge was able to get practice laps before the Charlotte race. Another race-day report said she would start the Coca-Cola 600 from 37th after the qualifying washout. ### What is her recent background at Indianapolis? (nytimes.com) NASCAR said Legge has qualified for all four previous Indianapolis 500s she entered and recently completed her veteran refresher test before this year’s race. The same release said she became the ninth woman to qualify for the event in 2012 and set the fastest qualifying effort by a woman in 2023. (usatoday.com) IndyCar’s driver page says Legge returned to the NTT IndyCar Series for the 110th Indianapolis 500 in 2026. That official page identifies her as the driver of the No. 11 Chevrolet fielded by HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt Racing. ### What does Sunday’s timetable look like? The Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to take the green flag at 12:45 p.m. (nascar.com) ET on Sunday, May 24, according to multiple race-day listings. The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (indycar.com) Sunday’s next checkpoints are straightforward: Legge first has to complete the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then make the transfer to Charlotte for the 67th running of the Coca-Cola 600, where she is entered with Live Fast Motorsports. (charlottemotorspeedway.com) (usatoday.com)