SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Clutching their Katherine Legge hero cards, sisters Abigail and Madison Stopyak claimed their own pole position of sorts Friday morning, first against the ropes outside Katherine Legge’s Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage — Row C, Stalls 3, 4 and 5 — hoping to get some time and perhaps an autograph or even a photo with their Memorial Day weekend race favorite.
As they stood there, the HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing team rolled Legge’s No. 11 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevy into the garage for final preparations before Carburetion Day’s final practice session for Sunday’s 110th running of the Indianapolis 500.
It will mark only the first 500 miles of Legge’s anticipated 1,100-mile day, however. If all goes as meticulously planned, she will take a second green flag at Charlotte Motor Speedway later Sunday night, driving the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet in NASCAR’s tradition-filled Coca-Cola 600.
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It will mark the third consecutive year a driver has attempted “The Double” — reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson has done it the last two seasons — and the crossover between the open-wheel thriller and one of NASCAR’s premier events has sparked a new fandom. Legge, an accomplished and versatile driver who’s competed in IMSA sports cars, IndyCar and NASCAR in a two-decade career, is the sixth driver and first woman to attempt the impressive feat.
“I think it’s iconic and so incredible she’s doing what she loves and inspiring other women, too,” said Madison Stopyak, 22.
“I just think it’s really inspiring and incredible she is doing both races,” her sister and fellow New Yorker Abigail, 18, said, grinning with others in the crowd smiling and nodding in agreement.
In many ways, Legge has been preparing for this weekend all her accomplished career. She’s excelled in sports car races — endurance and otherwise — and has previously competed wheel-to-wheel in IndyCar and NASCAR. Her 26th-place start Sunday at Indianapolis is her best position on the grid in four previous Indy 500 starts (2012-13 and 2023-24). Her top finish is 22nd place, and it came in her 2012 Indy debut.
Legge was smiling and acknowledging the crowd as she drove the team cart through pit lane on her way to her pit stall for practice on Friday. She flew Saturday morning to Charlotte for Cup Series practice, and then planned to return to Indy late Saturday night.
“Honestly, it’s been overwhelmingly supportive,” Legge said of the reaction she’s received. “Also, the response from inside the industry itself has been wonderful, the number of drivers who have reached out. People who have offered encouragement or just excitement around this effort.
“The best drivers are the ones that also help other drivers, and Kyle Larson and his team have been super helpful. I think there’s a shared understanding within motorsports of how difficult and rare this challenge really is. That’s been very humbling because drivers understand better than anyone what goes into even attempting the crazy things we sign ourselves up for.”
Determined, talented, fit — she competed in an Ironman competition in 2017 — are all words her fellow drivers use in describing the 45-year-old Brit. BJ McLeod, her Cup Series team owner for “The Double,” stood trackside Friday, attending his first Carburetion Day practice at Indy and shared the utmost confidence and expectation of Legge — for multiple reasons.
“I want everybody to see how tough she is,” McLeod said. “I know for a fact she can run both races with no problem. She is genuinely in incredible shape. I tell everybody she’s got the biological age of a 25-year-old. So she’s ready to do it, and I want to see her do both in the same day.”
McLeod has been a strong supporter of Legge’s venture, even if he concedes that being a part of the Indy-Charlotte Double in any way was “never on my bingo card.”
“I always love the month of May,” said the owner-driver of the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet. “I love — and have for most of my career — waking up on Sunday and watching F1 race, then watch Indy, then go race the 600 myself. So that’s been something I always looked forward to. I love watching practice and everything at Indy for the month of May and seeing everybody get ready. I literally was looking forward to the month of May as a fan no more than a month ago. So, it’s pretty crazy all this came to fruition and us get a chance to be a part of this Double.”
Legge was 33rd-fastest in the final Carb Day practice, turning in 48 laps as her crew continued to work on her car.
Of course, the most consequential issue for the logistics of “The Double” is always the weather, and forecasts in Indianapolis vary in their rain expectations for Sunday.
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Legge said her greater concern is getting some time in her NASCAR entry. She’s only competed on one previous 1.5-mile track, and the 28 laps she ran in Saturday’s practice were her first at Charlotte.
“Yeah, it’s less than ideal,” Legge said of potential bad weather. “Obviously, that doesn’t fill me with warm and fuzzies, but again, it is what it is. We committed to doing this thing, and we’re not going to not do it because I don’t feel ready. I mean, it’s too late for that.”
However, she reminded, “I think once you attempt something like ‘The Double,’ weather basically becomes another factor that’s out of your control. At a certain point, you also realize you can’t emotionally ride every forecast update because it’ll drive you insane. The biggest thing has honestly been staying adaptable, being flexible. Beyond that, you just focus on the things you can control and try not to waste energy on the rest.”
It’s a common-sense approach and one of the innumerable takeaways Legge has equipped herself with as she prepares for what will be one of the most impactful days of her career.
“The best advice came from Kyle Larson,” Legge said of the reigning NASCAR champion. “He told me to make sure I take time to actually enjoy the experience because it’s very easy to get consumed by the logistics, the pressure, and all the moving pieces surrounding something this ambitious.
“I think drivers who’ve attempted ‘The Double’ all understand the same thing – there’s no such thing as a perfect day. Tony Stewart said he can give me all the things not to do, but something unexpected will likely happen. The key is staying calm and adaptable when it does. That mindset honestly applies to racing in general, but probably even more so on a day like this.”