Katherine Legge missed the Indianapolis 500 media day festivities on Thursday due to a flight delay in New York. She hopes this is the only hiccup in what could be a historic week.
Historic Attempt
Legge is trying to become the first female driver to attempt the one-day, two-race, 1,100-mile marathon known as the 'double' on Sunday. Her team has spent the past week fine-tuning race-day plans, seeking advice from Kyle Larson, the most recent driver to attempt the feat.
'Hopefully, we get all of the travel woes out of the way now before the weekend, and this weekend goes smoothly,' Legge told the Associated Press. 'My management has been speaking with Kyle's management about how to get the logistics sorted out, how they did it and we're trying our best to copy and paste what they had.'
The five men who previously attempted the double had months to prepare their race strategy, itineraries, and contingency plans. Legge's NASCAR team, BRANDed Management, only announced the attempt last week.
Logistics and Schedule
The English driver's team has arranged a helicopter ride from the track to Indianapolis International Airport and a private jet to Charlotte on Sunday. Her schedule includes Friday's final 500 practice in Indy, Saturday's qualifications in Charlotte, and a return to Indy on Saturday night to rest before the first race at 12:30 p.m. local time. After the Indy race, she will fly back to Charlotte for the 6 p.m. start of the Coca-Cola 600.
Larson knows how quickly plans can change. A four-hour rain delay in 2024 cost him the chance to make the Charlotte grid on time, and he crashed out of both races last year after rain delayed Indy's start. Indy's forecast shows a 32% chance of isolated thunderstorms Sunday, but Legge has decided to prioritize the 500 if forced to choose, as she is not a full-time driver in either series.
'This is a lot to do in a short period of time,' she said. 'But I'm very lucky that I'm surrounded by great people who have put in a lot of work to make this possible. It wouldn't be possible without e.l.f. Cosmetics and Chevrolet, who are providing the vehicles.'
Historical Context
Only one driver, three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart, has completed all 1,100 miles. This year marks the 25th anniversary of his feat. Legge knows there is little margin for error. She must qualify in Charlotte, stay out of trouble after qualifying 26th at Indianapolis, and hope for cooperative weather and on-time flights.
Larson advised her to savor the moment: 'He said to enjoy it and not to stress about it,' she said, even though Larson found the experience extremely stressful.
Will Power, the 2018 Indy 500 winner, also missed media day due to a family commitment. Graham Rahal and Indy rookie Mick Schumacher appeared late due to Rahal's golf tournament.
Excitement and Anticipation
Legge is eager to get back to town despite the tight schedule. 'I'm beyond excited,' she said. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do either the Indy 500 or the Coca-Cola 600, but to be able to do both on the same day is pretty special. It's also very cool to be one of the few who have attempted it, and I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel Sunday night. Hopefully, I'll be happy that I've completed all the laps but we'll see.'
