Katherine Legge is starting to find her feet in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 45-year-old Brit recorded a second top-20 finish in four weeks, earning praise from stock car legend Mark Martin.

In 2025, Legge is competing in Cup and Xfinity Series races, and she has shaken off poor starts in both. In her Cup debut in Phoenix earlier this year, Legge suffered an early spin before colliding with Daniel Suarez later in the race.

She failed to qualify for two Xfinity races and hasn’t finished in the top 30. However, in the last three race weekends, Legge finished 19th in the Cup race in Chicago, followed by 31st at Sonoma and then 17th in Indianapolis, proving her critics wrong after coming under fire earlier this season when NASCAR was questioned over its approval process.

Legge’s 17th-place finish set a new non-superspeedway best finish for Live Fast Motorsports, making the most out of her time in the No. 78, earning praise from NASCAR legend Martin and fans. “Very impressive,” Martin said on social media platform X, reacting to car cam footage.

“I also think we need to recognize @katherinelegge with a 17th place finish with @teamlivefast, I think we can all agree that’s making the most out of the equipment you’re in!” another fan said.

“Katherine Legge just set a new non-superspeedway best finish for live fast motorsports with 17th today after tying their best in Chicago, btw. It’s time for NASCAR fans to give her the respect she deserves,” another tweeted.

Legge has been subject to abuse and sexism this year, all of which she has ignored and persevered. “It doesn’t bother me because I’m thick skinned,” she told the Daily Mail. “I’ve been the only girl in racing for two decades. 

“I know that people like Bubba [Wallace], and Denny [Hamlin], and Joey [Logano], and all those guys get the same thing. I think the difference is just with some of the ones that I got, they were very directed at my appearance on my body or my sexuality… It was amazing to me what makes people think these things up.”

“We did that podcast episode and we commented on it and we brought it to light because whilst I might be thick skinned enough that it’s like water off a duck’s back, I don’t know that if I was me 20 years ago, whether it would have been the same thing, right?,” Legge added.

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“I don’t know whether the girls coming up through, maybe that’s a barrier to them because it’s a lot. I just think that it’s a factor of social media today, which I didn’t necessarily have when I was first starting out, so I didn’t get to see or experience of that. 

“But this generation, I don’t know whether they’re hardened to it or whether it is something that bothers them and gets under their skin. I mean, it’s a form of bullying at the end of the day, and I think that it’s unacceptable. 

“The fact people are anonymous and behind a keyboard makes them think that it’s okay to type this stuff. But I can tell you not one person has said it to my face. So I think it’s worth calling out.”

Big Game Motorsports wrapped up the month of July with a strong week in the Northeast.

While Mother Nature wiped out the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series doubleheader at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., David Gravel and the team garnered a runner-up result on Wednesday at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pa., before capturing a World of Outlaws win at Weedsport Speedway on Sunday for the fifth straight year.

“You just never know,” Gravel said in a post-race interview on DIRTVision. “The pace gets so slow. They did track work, had the tiller out, and they haven’t done that all night. So, I just didn’t know if the top was going to be the place to be or not. We had a lot of aggressive guys behind us, so you know they were going to try it. I saw Cole (Macedo) in (turns) one and two those first couple laps, but other than that I didn’t really see him.”

Gravel dominated the night at Weedsport Speedway, setting quick time in his group’s qualifying session before winning a heat race, the dash and the main event. His margin of victory in the feature was 6.120 seconds.

The team was also strong throughout the program at BAPS Motor Speedway, where Gravel was quickest in his group during time trials. He won a heat race and the dash to garner the pole position for the A Main. Gravel led the first six laps before dropping to second on a restart on Lap 7.

“I just didn’t know where to run on the restart there and protected, but should’ve protected a little bit more, but I ran the top,” Gravel said in a post-race interview on DIRTVision. “(Anthony) Macri got by me. I kind of did the same thing to him the next restart. I was able to slide him. I took too long to slide across and about stopped at the cushion, so he got back underneath me, and they did a great job in traffic.”

Gravel holds a 182-point lead in the World of Outlaws championship standings entering the Ironman 55 this Friday and Saturday at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo.

QUICK RESULTS –

July 23 – BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pa. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 1 (2); Feature: 2 (1).

July 27 – Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 1 (1).

SEASON STATS –

47 races, 11 wins, 38 top fives, 44 top 10s, 44 top 15s, 44 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo., for the Ironman 55 with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

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Former Xfinity Series driver Kris Wright has found a home for the rest of the 2025 racing season. He has signed a three-race ARCA Menards Series contract to drive a car “prepared” by Venturini Motorsports.

Denny Hamlin, the driver, finished third in the Brickyard 400 on Sunday. Denny Hamlin, the owner, however, won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis with 23XI Racing.

The moment was undoubtedly bittersweet for Hamlin, who has yet to win the crown jewel event himself. It is the only crown jewel on the NASCAR schedule that Hamlin, 44, has not laid claim to, and Sunday was his 17th attempt.

He admitted as much – about it being bittersweet – as he fulfilled his obligations as the winning car owner. One of those obligations was having to address the media, putting into perspective what the win means for his driver, Bubba Wallace, and the organization, even though it’s not something he’s ever experienced.

“Yeah [it’s bittersweet] because I had a role in it,” Hamlin said. “I help mentor these guys, and they’re in my brain every single Monday and Tuesday. I’m trying everything I can to teach them all the tricks in the book that I have, and so I know there is a part of me out there. Yeah, it’s not my car number and it sucks that it’s not my team, team No. 11 out there, but I’m still very gratified because truthfully, I took our chances of winning out yesterday.”

Saturday at the Speedway was a tough pill to swallow for Hamlin. His Toyota was the fastest in Cup Series practice, having arrived at Indianapolis off his fourth win of the season a week ago at Dover Motor Speedway. But as the last driver to attempt a qualifying run, he pushed too hard and crashed.

With the primary car destroyed, his team had to go to a backup. It was all hands on deck to prepare for Sunday’s race, with Hamlin having to come from the rear of the field in a track position race.

“I knew that the possibility of winning from the back here was so small,” Hamlin said. “Not only that, I knew the car we had was not going to be nearly as fast as what we had yesterday, so I was content with getting a good finish, and then I hope that one of the 23XI cars that qualified up front could execute a good day. It looked like the No. 23 and No. 45 executed a good day. The No. 35 looked like he had speed, just couldn’t get over the hump.

“So, I’m still very gratified just because of the weekend. I’m sitting back there after qualifying, in the car, thinking, ‘Well, I’ve only got two more chances.’ I knew I had blown this chance for this weekend because of all the obstacles to try to win from the back. Without luck, it’s nearly impossible, so this was the next best result.”

Hamlin signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing, which was announced on Friday. It is, according to Hamlin, “probably, most likely” his last contract extension in Cup Series racing.

Indianapolis is not a traditional race victory as it comes with many spoils. Wallace and the No. 23 team celebrated in victory lane, received a trophy and a ring, and then went to the frontstretch to kiss the bricks. Hamlin was there for all of it, the kiss included.

There was no hesitation to participate in the tradition over hoping to do it as a driver one day.

“I’ll take every opportunity that I can,” Hamlin said. “When those guys go out there and get trophies, I make sure I get my own and treat it as my own, because I can assure you, it’s much harder to win as a team owner than it is as a driver. Joe Gibbs and that whole team do all the work. All I have to do out here each weekend is drive it to the best of my ability, and I have to send them in the right direction to make the car go faster.

“Building a team from scratch is a huge undertaking, so you feel more gratification because I had my hand in every little piece of that race, from the branding to the sponsorship to the competition to everything. Parents always feel much prouder when their kids accomplish something more than they do.”

Camrie Caruso Motorsports is proud to unveil a brand-new partnership with Green Genie of New York, set to debut at the final three IHRA events of the 2025 season. The collaboration features the launch of the bold, vibrant Green Genie Chevy Cobalt, adding serious flair and firepower to the Mountain Motor Pro Stock class.

The striking new Chevy Cobalt Pro Stocker will make its first appearance at IHRA Columbus (Sept. 3–6), followed by West Salem, OH (Sept. 24–27), and the season finale in Dunn, NC (Nov. 5–8).

“I’m beyond excited to partner with a company from East Rochester, NY – where my mom grew up,” said Camrie Caruso. “This deal hits close to home for me, and bringing it to life with such a unique and eye-catching car makes it even more special. The Green Genie Cobalt is going to turn heads, and we’re showing up to win.”

Green Genie – known for their bold branding and tagline, “We make incredible edibles for people who know the difference!” – is bringing its high-energy style to the drag strip, teaming up with one of the sport’s standout female drivers to close out the 2025 season in unforgettable fashion.

Fans can expect not only fierce performance on the track, but also exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan-focused activations, and a deeper look into the creation of the Green Genie Chevy Cobalt.

This story was originally published on July 28, 2025.