Motorsports

How NASCAR’s Katherine Legge deals with torrent of social media hate mail and death threats: ‘I just feel sorry for them’

By Don Riddell, CNN (CNN) — Editor’s note: This story contains quotes of abusive language toward Katherine Legge that were released to CNN by her team. British racing driver Katherine Legge told CNN Sports that she has been inundated with thousands of hateful messages, death threats, vulgar and inappropriate comments across multiple social media platforms […]

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1 month ago

April 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By Don Riddell, CNN

(CNN) — Editor’s note: This story contains quotes of abusive language toward Katherine Legge that were released to CNN by her team.

British racing driver Katherine Legge told CNN Sports that she has been inundated with thousands of hateful messages, death threats, vulgar and inappropriate comments across multiple social media platforms since she entered NASCAR in March.

One direct message on X said that she should hang herself, the same account adding in a separate, public, post, “You need to be assassinated.” Another advised her to “swallow a shotgun.”

Initially, she wanted to ignore her trolls and deny them the oxygen of publicity, but after a difficult weekend on the track at Rockingham she decided to speak out.

Speaking exclusively to CNN about the abuse, Legge says that while she welcomes fan engagement online, the amount of vitriol is only getting worse.

“Online bullying is getting more toxic, and I think that somebody needs to call it out,” she said. “It’s shocking to read some of the vile things that people write, there just seems to be this whole online movement where people think that it’s OK to say these things that they would never have the courage to say to people in real life; or absolutely shouldn’t.”

Female athletes have recently spoken out about the threats they have received online. At the conclusion of her college career, the basketball star Angel Reese said tearfully, “I’ve been through so much, I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times. Death threats, I’ve been sexualized, I’ve been threatened.” WNBA star Breanna Stewart said that police were investigating homophobic death threats that had been sent to her wife and the French tennis player Caroline Garcia reported comments on X that told her to consider suicide and, “I hope your mom dies soon.”

Legge has observed the abuse that athletes endure in other sports, and even some of the invective that is aimed at male drivers in NASCAR. However, she is currently the only female driver on the circuit, and she suspects that as a result, her treatment is worse.

“I think it’s more prevalent with women in sports, especially with women in male dominated sports, because we stick out more, you know? There is the opinion that we are a gimmick, or we shouldn’t be there because we’re DEI hires and we haven’t earned our spot,” she told CNN.

CNN has seen many of the X posts in which Legge has been targeted for abuse online, ranging from “Please get the f**k out of NASCAR” and “I hope you wreck every car you drive in” to sickening vulgarities that are too offensive to print. Her team say that many more toxic messages have been posted on YouTube and Facebook. It’s a sad fact of modern-day life that Legge has become numb to it.

“It’s just noise,” she explained. “I have a thick skin. It’s not worth my time or energy. I can honestly say it doesn’t phase me one way or the other, because they are people who I would not ask an opinion of. The people I respect, team members, my bosses, my partners, my family, my friends, and those who have been there and done it, are the voices that I listen to.”

She added, “It’s just mind-blowing to me because I would never do it. I would ever go online and try and bring somebody else down to raise myself up and so I feel sorry for them, I guess, is the best way of putting it.”

Legge says she doesn’t think that any of the death threats would seriously be carried out, but NASCAR is providing a security detail for her upcoming races and the sport’s head of security has alerted law enforcement in her hometown of the situation.

Speaking to CNN, NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps described the posts as incredibly upsetting.

“I want to be crystal clear about this, we condemn this behavior. It is unacceptable, this is not appropriate for NASCAR, sports, or the world,” he said.

Phelps also defended Legge against any of her critics who thinks she is somehow undeserving of her place on the track.

“This is a woman who has competed very successfully in all forms of motorsports and we want her here at NASCAR. They can take their opinions and their hate right out of NASCAR, because there’s just no place for it,” he said.

Legge’s two races so far this season have resulted in DNFs (did not finish,) one of which she takes personal responsibility for. At the age of 44, she’s a highly experienced driver, competing in IndyCar, Open Wheel, electric cars and sports cars.

“You name it, I’ve driven it,” she told CNN earlier this year – but she admits she is relatively inexperienced in NASCAR.

She’s been contracted for 11 more races in the Xfinity and Cup series, driving for the Chevrolet-backed teams Jordan Anderson and Live Fast.

“I’m having a great time on these awesome tracks, driving these beasts,” she said with a smile. “I’m hoping to get some results towards the end of the year. All I can do is keep improving and, if they have the capacity, they will change their opinions, and it will die down a little bit. But time will tell.”

Beyond hoping that being a more successful competitor will dampen the online abuse, Legge said the only way to truly extinguish it in society is to make it socially unacceptable.

“The reasonable people in the population think that it’s unacceptable, right? It’s bullying. It’s something that you’re taught as a child isn’t cool,” she said.

“I didn’t set out to be a role model,” she added. “I just set out be a racing driver and with that comes a responsibility.”

Events beyond her control have now forced her to further embrace that responsibility, and she hopes her example will inspire others to speak up or, at the very least, learn how to cope with being bullied.

“I tried to be the best role model that I could be for like, a nine-year-old Katherine, act as a beacon of light and maybe somebody being bullied somewhere, even if it’s just one person, if they see this and they think, ‘OK, I’m gonna ignore it,’ then it’s been worth it,” she said.

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Motorsports

Responding to Ryan Blaney Nashville win

You want to go ahead and flip-flop the top two guys in our Power Rankings? Go right ahead. I can’t argue against it. Well, I could, but there’s no real science behind this weekly lineup. In fact, it generally boils down to two things. 1. What has he done in recent weeks, with maybe a […]

Published

13 minutes ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

You want to go ahead and flip-flop the top two guys in our Power Rankings? Go right ahead.

I can’t argue against it. Well, I could, but there’s no real science behind this weekly lineup.

In fact, it generally boils down to two things.

1. What has he done in recent weeks, with maybe a tad more weight given to the most recent race.

2. How has his season been as a whole?

If a tiebreaker is needed: Which guy, if necessary, is easier to make fun of.

As for the current rankings, Christopher Bell has four wins this year (including the All-Star Race) compared to one for William Byron, whose win came way back at the season opener. But Byron competes for a win nearly every week, and along the way, he piles up a ton of bonus points, which explains why he’s second and ahead of three-time winner Kyle Larson, who mixes in too many clunkers.

If hunches and vibes were sciences, I’d be a scientist.

1. Christopher Bell

Barely kept his top-10 streak (eight of last nine starts) with a 10th at Nashville.

2. William Byron

Billy the Kid just doesn’t have a bad week, does he?

3. Kyle Larson

In an odd little funk. Very hard-earned eighth at Nashville.

4. Ross Chastain

Average Michigan finish in seven starts: 25.9. Yuck.

5. Ryan Blaney

Passed tech! Full Penske roster now in the playoffs.

6. Joey Logano

In his last five Michigan starts, he has led just as many laps as you have.

7. Denny Hamlin

Does a third at Nashville suggest the mini-slump is over?

8. Chase Elliott

Odd stat: Has finished 15th four times this season.

9. Chase Briscoe

His Saturday speed has yet to translate to Sundays lately.

10. Tyler Reddick

Raised stakes in trendy kid names by naming his new son “Rookie.”

Well, the secret is out! At 2:20am on 5/25, we welcomed the newest addition to the Reddick family. Everyone meet Rookie George Reddick.

The household has now become a family of four, and we are so blessed. pic.twitter.com/RZCILUhmKt

— Tyler Reddick (@TylerReddick) June 1, 2025

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Motorsports

Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr. send warning to Carson Hocevar after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. incident

If there is anyone who can get Carson Hocevar to listen to reason, it is probably Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hocevar is the wild child of the NASCAR Cup Series right now, and his comments after the Ricky Stenhouse Jr. incident today are the latest example. Carson Hocevar is full-throttle 100% of the […]

Published

32 minutes ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Carson Hocevar is full-throttle 100% of the time. He talked in the pre-race about not wanting to have regrets as a driver. But there is a fine line between having no regrets and creating your own problems.

On the Prime Video post-race show, both Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. issued warnings to Hocevar. They see him going down a path that could lead to unwanted consequences.

“Well, I hear a guy that doesn’t know that he ran into the back of somebody and wrecked them,” Earnhardt said after hearing Hocevar’s comments on the incident. “Hey, I’ll call it like it is. I like Hocevar a lot. Kid’s awesome. Ran second tonight. I like his attitude, I like his personality, and I like his style. But yeah, I think he could have cut the 47 a break, and he chose not to do that.

“That’s his way that he wants to race. He’s not very apologetic about it. A lot of people are going to love that. A lot of people are going to love how he races and how he does his job. From what I saw tonight, I think he probably could have gave Ricky an opportunity there and continued to race. And he’ll have to hear that side from Ricky, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out.”

Carl Edwards agreed. He followed up by echoing many of the same sentiments that Dale Jr. had.

“He sat up here in the pre-race and said, ‘Hey, I’m just going to be aggressive. No regrets, I’m going to go, I’m going to get it.’ And there you see it,” Edwards said. “And I talked about it a little bit, but there’s a price, and it hurts, and I’ve been there, and it’s not fun to be on the receiving end of what’s coming.”

Don’t get it twisted, Dale Jr. enjoys watching Carson Hocevar. He likes the aggression. However, the 22-year-old may be shortsighted in his “no-regrets” outlook on life.

“I like what I see out of Hocevar. As a fan and a broadcaster, it is entertaining,” Earnhardt said. “I just don’t like it when he wrecks the good guy, you know? I know Stenhouse has had his issues, too, but you kinda gotta pick and choose who your enemies are, and you can’t just kind of blanket the garage, right?

“So, I don’t know that I want him to dial it off or dial it back because it’s great as a fan to see him in controversy. We need a little color, we need a little personality, and he brings tons of it. But the garage kind of will police it a little bit. To your point, Corey, nobody’s really stepped to him just yet, but I think he might have messed with the wrong guy tonight.”

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Motorsports

Big Game Motorsports and Gravel Garner Pair of Podiums in North Dakota – Speedway Digest

Big Game Motorsports recorded back-to-back runner-up results in North Dakota last weekend. That gives team driver David Gravel 17 podium finishes in 28 races this season and it extended his lead in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship standings to 188 points. “I felt happy with how our weekend went,” […]

Published

49 minutes ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Big Game Motorsports recorded back-to-back runner-up results in North Dakota last weekend.

That gives team driver David Gravel 17 podium finishes in 28 races this season and it extended his lead in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship standings to 188 points.

“I felt happy with how our weekend went,” he said. “The second night was definitely a more deserving second place. If everything goes right the first night we could have or should have won, but that’s racing.”

Gravel kicked off the weekend on Friday at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, where he qualified fourth quickest. A heat race win was followed by a dash victory to earn the pole position for the main event. Gravel led the first five laps before dropping a position.

“With them doing track work I didn’t know which lane would be the best and stayed on the bottom a little too long,” he said. “Buddy (Kofoid) got by me and took the lead. From there we were able to pace him and stick with him, but didn’t have the opportunity to get back by him. I was a little bummed with that second place.”

The weekend wrapped up on Saturday at Red River Valley Speedway, where Gravel timed in third quickest. He won a heat race and moved from fourth to third place in the dash to start the feature on the inside of the second row.

“Fargo was stressful with how the track was greasy,” he said. “To qualify good that night was a big relief. We qualified and put ourselves in position. To win our heat and draw the No. 4 for the dash was pretty good. We did good to gain a spot.

“We were okay early (in the feature). As the race went on we were good. Donny (Schatz) sniffed me out on the bottom and took my lane away, which slowed me up. We were able to get by him late.”

Gravel got into second with a late-race move, but was unable to make a bid for the lead. It marked his sixth second-place outing of the season.

This week is a big one for the team with four races in five days, beginning on Wednesday with the FENDT Showdown hosted by Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn. A trip to Wisconsin encompasses races on Friday at Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth during the Badger State Triple; on Saturday at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam during the Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial; and on Sunday at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie during the Badger State Triple.

“Jackson is a track I haven’t won at so I’m eager to try to win there,” Gravel said. “Wisconsin will be interesting. The Plymouth track is one I haven’t been to. Beaver Dam is a track we’ve been fast at and I think I’ve ran second there five or six times. And Sun Prairie, I’ve been to it one time I think in 2016. It was a very unique track that is very flat and round.”

QUICK RESULTS –

May 30 – River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 2 (1).

May 31 – Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 3 (4); Feature: 2 (3).

SEASON STATS –

28 races, 8 wins, 24 top fives, 28 top 10s, 28 top 15s, 28 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Wednesday at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., for the FENDT Showdown; Friday at Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis., for the Badger State Triple; Saturday at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis., for the Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial; and Sunday at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis., for the Badger State Triple with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

ILP PR

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Motorsports

2025 NASCAR Michigan Entry List: All 36 drivers for Firekeepers Casino 400

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The NASCAR Cup Series is set to take on the Michigan International Speedway for the next race of the 2025 season, with 36 cars registered for the race. Check out the entry list for this year’s Firekeepers Casino 400. 2025 NASCAR Michigan Entry List Ross Chastain (#1, […]

Published

50 minutes ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The NASCAR Cup Series is set to take on the Michigan International Speedway for the next race of the 2025 season, with 36 cars registered for the race.

Check out the entry list for this year’s Firekeepers Casino 400.

2025 NASCAR Michigan Entry List

Ross Chastain (#1, Trackhouse Racing)
Austin Cindric (#2, Team Penske)
Austin Dillon (#3, Richard Childress Racing)
Noah Gragson (#4, Front Row Motorsports)
Kyle Larson (#5, Hendrick Motorsports)
Brad Keselowski (#6, RFK Racing)
Justin Haley (#7, Spire Motorsports)
Kyle Busch (#8, Richard Childress Racing)
Chase Elliott (#9, Hendrick Motorsports)
Ty Dillon (#10, Kaulig Racing)
Denny Hamlin (#11, Joe Gibbs Racing)
Ryan Blaney (#12, Team Penske)
AJ Allmendinger (#16, Kaulig Racing)
Chris Buescher (#17, RFK Racing)
Chase Briscoe (#19, Joe Gibbs Racing)
Christopher Bell (#20, Joe Gibbs Racing)
Josh Berry (#21, Wood Brothers Racing)
Joey Logano (#22, Team Penske)
Bubba Wallace (#23, 23XI Racing)
William Byron (#24, Hendrick Motorsports)
Todd Gilliland (#34, Front Row Motorsports)
Riley Herbst (#35, 23XI Racing)
Zane Smith (#38, Front Row Motorsports)
Cole Custer (#41, Haas Factory Team)
John Hunter Nemechek (#42, Legacy Motor Club)
Erik Jones (#43, Legacy Motor Club)
Tyler Reddick (#45, 23XI Racing)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (#47, HYAK Motorsports)
Alex Bowman (#48, Hendrick Motorsports)
Cody Ware (#51, Rick Ware Racing)
Ty Gibbs (#54, Joe Gibbs Racing)
Ryan Preece (#60, RFK Racing)
Michael McDowell (#71, Spire Motorsports)
Carson Hocevar (#77, Spire Motorsports)
Shane van Gisbergen (#88, Trackhouse Racing)
Daniel Suárez (#99, Trackhouse Racing)

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Motorsports

The 2025 PRI Show Is Taking Shape—Don’t Let Your Brand Miss OutPerformance Racing Industry

Planning for the 2025 edition of the world’s largest gathering of motorsports professionals–December 11-13, Indianapolis–is well underway, but it’s not too late to stake your claim to a piece of the 2025 PRI Show floorplan. Ensure your brand has a presence at this one-of-a-kind industry event by securing a booth now. Securing your booth space […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Planning for the 2025 edition of the world’s largest gathering of motorsports professionals–December 11-13, Indianapolis–is well underway, but it’s not too late to stake your claim to a piece of the 2025 PRI Show floorplan. Ensure your brand has a presence at this one-of-a-kind industry event by securing a booth now.

Securing your booth space is the first step toward success at the PRI Show, which presents an unrivaled opportunity for racing industry professionals to drive sales, meet new clients and increase brand awareness, December 11-13, in downtown Indianapolis.

Exhibiting at the PRI Show offers a myriad of benefits to your brand:

Increase Your Brand Awareness: Whether you are an established brand or looking to break into the motorsports market, exhibiting at PRI is the best investment to advance your brand goals.
Connect With Your Customers: See existing customers and connect with them on the Show floor. Determine their business needs and use this opportunity to strengthen relationships.
Expand Your Sales Channels: Take your products to new markets, whether through retailers, distributors or other sales channels, expanding your brand’s reach domestically and internationally.
Introduce New Products: Ensure your latest and greatest products are seen by a large audience of potential customers at the PRI Show.

To reserve a booth at the 2025 PRI Show, visit here. For more information on why to exhibit, visit performanceracing.com/trade-show/exhibit.

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Motorsports

Rockingham NASCAR weekend provides nearly $40 million in economic impact

Rockingham NASCAR weekend provides nearly $40 million in economic impact – Sandhills Sentinel Home /Local News/Rockingham NASCAR weekend provides nearly $40 million in economic impact […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation