Rain cancels NASCAR qualifying, locks Legge in Double bid

Katherine Legge’s NASCAR Cup qualifying session at Charlotte Motor Speedway was washed out by rain, but the field size staying below the 40-car maximum means she’s locked into Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600—setting up her historic attempt to run both the Indy 500 and

CONCORD, NC — Katherine Legge didn’t need to be at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday. Rain canceled qualifying for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, leaving the sport’s field short of its cap.

Because the number of cars entered is under the maximum capacity of 40. Legge is locked into the NASCAR Cup Series race ahead of her attempt at “The Double. ” an exhausting effort to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day—covering 1. 100 miles across tracks in two different states.

Legge’s name is already being written into the record books. She will be the first woman to attempt The Double. the native of England will also be the first foreign-born driver to try it. and at 45 years old she will be the oldest driver to take on the challenge. For Charlotte, she’s set to start near the back—37th place, in the 19th row.

Qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 was rained out, but Legge did turn her Saturday trip to Charlotte into something useful. She flew in after attending the driver’s meeting at the Indy 500, and the rain held off long enough for her to get some practice laps.

Behind the wheel of the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports, Legge ran six practice laps at an average speed of 176 miles per hour. Standing outside her hauler afterward, she said the time on track helped her mentally reset.

“Honestly, I feel so much better,” Legge said Saturday outside of her hauler. “It may not seem like a lot, but it means that when I roll off tomorrow, I feel like I can go and not feel like I’m on the back foot.”

She’s made it to this moment through a season of firsts and momentum. Legge made her NASCAR Cup Series debut last season. becoming the first woman to race in the series since Danica Patrick last did in 2018. Charlotte will be her ninth Cup race. and her best finish came last year at the Brickyard 400. where she placed 17th.

But Charlotte Motor Speedway is new territory. She’s never raced there before, and even limited practice carries weight when you’re trying to manage two series and two states in a single day.

“I had a couple moments in practice where I lifted too abruptly. so I’m going to have that in my mind now. These mistakes and things that I haven’t come across before, now I know. It takes you a while to grasp during the race,” Legge said. “We’ll see tomorrow. I’m hoping that I get that part figured out relatively early on.”.

The stakes are bigger than one race. With her Indy 500 entry and the NASCAR Cup spot both secured, Legge becomes the sixth driver to attempt The Double, following John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch and most recently Kyle Larson, who tried in both 2024 and 2025.

Stewart’s effort remains the benchmark. He was the most successful among the prior challengers, placing sixth at Indy and third in Charlotte in 2001. Stewart is also the only driver to complete all 1,100 laps of both races.

Scheduling makes Legge’s day even tighter. Rain is in the forecast for both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. For now, the Indy 500 is scheduled to start at 12:45 p.m. ET, while the green flag for the NASCAR race is set to drop at 6 p.m.

Legge will have sponsorship continuity across both attempts. e.l.f. Cosmetics is sponsoring Legge in both races.

In Indianapolis, where she’ll compete in the Indy 500 for the fifth time, Legge will pilot the No. 11 Chevrolet for HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt Racing.

Katherine Legge The Double Indy 500 Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series Charlotte Motor Speedway Live Fast Motorsports HMD Motorsports AJ Foyt Racing e.l.f. Cosmetics