Katherine Legge Is First Woman To Attempt 'the Double,' Driving The Indy 500 And Coca-cola 600 In One Day

Indiana’s deficiency of glamour is simply a constituent of pride, rooted successful Midwestern practicality and endless level fields of corn.

Lately, though, nan Hoosier authorities has been elevated by towering sports figures. And connected Sunday, 2 will beryllium nan caller faces of nan Indianapolis 500, which attracts much spectators than immoderate different single-day sporting arena successful nan world.

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark will beryllium nan expansive marshal. National championship-winning Indiana shot coach Curt Cignetti will thrust nan honorary gait car.

But moreover those precocious achievers mightiness beryllium awestruck by 1 of nan title car drivers. Or astatine slightest what that driver will attempt.

Not only will Katherine Legge beryllium nan only female among nan 33 drivers successful nan Indy 500, which originates astatine 9:45 a.m. PT connected Sunday. The 45-year-old motorsports trailblazer from England will past alert to Charlotte to title successful nan NASCAR Cup’s Coca-Cola 600, which originates astatine 3:29 p.m. PT.

That’s 1,100 miles of near turns astir 2 oval tracks.

On nan aforesaid day.

As awesome arsenic undertaking what is known simply arsenic “The Double” are Legge’s recreation plans from Indianapolis to Charlotte. Five hours and 44 minutes abstracted nan starts of nan 2 races. The Indy 500 takes longer than 3 hours to complete. The commute will return adjacent to 2 hours.

Legge plans to hustle. She will hop into a chopper moments aft nan Indy 500 and caput to a adjacent backstage pitchy that will zip her 366 miles to Concord Airport adjacent Charlotte successful an hour. Another chopper will driblet her onto nan Charlotte Motor Speedway infield. A play cart will return a beeline to her Chevrolet Camaro successful clip for nan greenish flag.

At slightest that’s nan plan.

“Being focused for a three-to-four-hour IndyCar title past a five-hour NASCAR race, it’s nan aforesaid arsenic driving from New York to Daytona Beach beautiful overmuch at, gosh, an mean of 200 miles an hour,” Legge said. “You cannot suffer attraction for a 2nd of immoderate of that. I don’t deliberation anybody tin comprehend that.”

Legge is nan first female and only nan sixth driver wide to effort The Double. Although her profession has included IMSA sports cars and Formula E successful summation to IndyCar and NASCAR, she has ne'er attempted thing this challenging.

John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson and (rest successful peace) Kurt Busch are nan others who person tried.

Larson is nan astir recent, finishing 18th successful nan Indy 500 and 37th successful nan Coca-Cola 600 a twelvemonth ago. He besides tried successful 2024 but didn’t get to his car successful clip successful Charlotte because of a rainfall hold successful Indianapolis.

The documentary “Kyle Larson vs. The Double” premiered Wednesday connected Prime Video. It follows nan two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion done preparation, logistics and grueling reality of getting done nan day.

Legge is opening to relate.

“I was reasoning astir what I’m going to do pinch a hybrid strategy astatine nan aforesaid clip arsenic telling group astir really I’m going to do nan double,” she said. “It’s this weird disconnect, right? Where you’re like, ‘That’s truthful cool.’ And conceptually, you cognize precisely what’s involved, but it doesn’t descend in.”

Busch, who tragically died at 41 connected Thursday from an undetermined illness, turned successful a valiant effort successful 2014, finishing sixth successful nan Indy 500 contempt having constricted acquisition successful IndyCar. Engine problems torpedoed his chances successful nan Coca-Cola 600, however, and he completed only 271 of 400 laps connected nan 1.5-mile track.

“It was a situation I put distant for myself,” Busch said. “I enjoyed it. I soaked it in.”

Only erstwhile successful 5 attempts did Gordon complete some races, finishing eighth successful Indianapolis and 16th successful Charlotte successful 2002. A twelvemonth earlier, Stewart turned successful nan astir awesome double, finishing sixth astatine Indy and 3rd astatine Charlotte.

Andretti was pioneer of The Double successful 1994, finishing a respectable 10th earlier flying to Charlotte pinch a caregiver and registered dietitian to guarantee he stayed hydrated. Andretti was penalized for missing nan drivers’ meeting, however, and sent from nan No. 9 starting position to nan rear of nan field. He collapsed and withdrew connected nan 91st lap.

Content pinch 1 title Sunday will beryllium defending Indy 500 victor Álex Palou, who will commencement connected nan rod aft a four-lap qualifying mean of 232.248 mph. Six different drivers person won nan title successful consecutive years.

Legge, who will beryllium racing successful her 5th Indy 500, will commencement successful nan No. 26 position. Actor and Indianapolis autochthonal Brendan Fraser will beryllium nan honorary starter and activity nan greenish flag. It will beryllium nan opening of an exhausting day.

“Honestly, I’m doing it because it’s a really cool point to do, and it’s benignant of for illustration this old-school epic badge of grant that you get for doing some races successful 1 day,” Legge told Fox Sports. “I’m not doing it to time off a legacy.

“You tin do thing that you put your mind to if you want it enough. It would beryllium remiss of maine to not return that work seriously, but astatine nan aforesaid time, that’s not why I group retired to do it. I group retired to do it because I emotion to race.”