Wallace’s Observer Critical of NASCAR’s Decision to Allow Legge Cup Start Amidst Owner Exemption Scrutiny
The participation of British racing driver Katherine Legge in the Shriners Children’s 500 NASCAR Cup Series event at Phoenix Raceway last Sunday ignited considerable discussion. Freddie Kraft, the spotter for 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, recently shared his honest assessment of NASCAR’s choice to permit Legge to compete, given her limited background in stock car competition.
Legge’s most recent NASCAR appearance prior to Phoenix was in this year’s Ride the Dente 200 at Daytona International Speedway, where she drove the #23 Chevrolet for Sigma Performance Services. Before that, the four-time IMSA race victor had participated in a handful of Xfinity Series events (four in 2018 and one in 2023), achieving a personal best of 14th place at Road America’s Johnsonville 180.
Kraft, a seasoned spotter, aired his views regarding NASCAR’s choice that seemingly positioned Katherine Legge for a difficult outcome, believing she “wasn’t going to succeed.”
“Katherine (Legge) committed errors, and while I won’t dwell on them, I believe she was placed in a situation destined for failure, as she should not have received approval to participate in this race,” Kraft stated. [42:40 onwards]… “She has competed on only two stock car ovals throughout her career. In one, she finished eight laps behind at Richmond in 2018, and in the other, she completed three laps at Daytona, during the recent event in February. Therefore, I struggle to understand how this qualifies someone to compete in the world’s top-tier stock car series,” he elaborated.
The conversation has reportedly broadened to encompass NASCAR’s new Owner Exemption Provisional (OEP) policy. The central question being posed is why a veteran like Mike Wallace, with almost 200 Cup Series starts, was denied entry into the Daytona 500, whereas Katherine Legge was permitted to make her Cup Series debut, despite her minimal experience in stock car racing.
Katherine Legge Expresses Disappointment with “Terrible” Car in Cup Debut, Regretting Pre-Race Adjustments
Legge piloted the #78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports in the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix. Despite recovering from initial difficulties, the British competitor spun out early in the third stage. Subsequently, Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez collided with her Chevy, bringing her day at Phoenix to an end.
Following the race, Legge, who has a diverse background in various motorsports disciplines, voiced her disappointment with her Cup Series debut, describing it as driving a “terrible” car that underwent last-minute alterations. “It was a challenging start. We made some changes to the car overnight, and they were awful. I was struggling severely from the beginning, I was extremely loose, and we continued to make adjustments, which progressively stabilized the car for me…I wish we hadn’t made the changes,” Katherine Legge shared with Bob Pockrass.
The Cup Series is scheduled to resume at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this coming Sunday for the Pennzoil 400. The race will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1, PRN, and SiriusXM’s NASCAR channel.
