Katherine Legge Races in Historic Indy 500-Coke 600 Double
Katherine Legge Races in Historic Indy 500-Coke 600 Double
Deb WilliamsMon, May 25, 2026 at 8:05 PM UTC
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Katherine Legge Races in Indy 500-Coke 600 DoubleJonathan Bachman - Getty Images (Jonathan Bachman - Getty Images)
Katherine Legge became the first woman and the first non-American to execute the Indianapolis 500-Coca-Cola 600 double, finishing 33rd in the Indy 500 and 31st in her first 600-mile stock car race.
Immediately after the Coca-Cola 600 that was cut short by 27 laps due to rain, Legge said the highlight of her grueling day was the opportunity to attempt the double.
“We’re gonna regroup and think about it and reflect on it and see what we could have done differently,” said the 45-year-old competitor, the oldest driver to attempt the double. “It was kind of a calamity of errors, but at the end of the day, I think I made too many mistakes.”
However, Legge noted there were positives she could take from the experience. She said her team made her car better on every pit stop and “it was actually pretty decent firing off there the last couple of times.”
“I think that would have been a lot more fun,” Legge said. “It’s never fun when you’re battling a very tight race car.”
Icon Sportswire - Getty Images (Icon Sportswire - Getty Images)
Legge exited the Indy 500 early, completing only 17 laps before being swept up in an accident triggered by Ryan Hunter-Reay. After finishing her duties in Indianapolis, she took a helicopter from the 2.5-mile track to an airport where a plane was waiting to transport her to the Concord, North Carolina, airport. She then took a helicopter from that airport to Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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During stock car racing’s longest race, dealing with a tight race car wasn’t Legge’s only issue. On lap 210, the right-front wheel came off her Chevrolet, causing the sixth caution period. She returned to the track and finished 31st, 12 laps down to race winner Daniel Suarez.
Legge’s history-making double came 50 years after Janet Guthrie became the first woman to compete in stock car racing’s longest race after failing to qualify for the 1976 Indy 500. Guthrie qualified 27th and finished 15thin the race then known as the World 600, completing 379 of the 400 laps in her 3,700-pound car that didn’t have power steering.
Legge was the sixth driver to attempt the double. Of the other five, Tony Stewart is the only competitor to have completed all 1,100 miles, accomplishing that feat in 2001. He also did the double in 1999, finishing ninth in the Indy 500 and fourth in the Coca-Cola 600.
Michael L. Levitt - Getty Images (Michael L. Levitt - Getty Images)
John Andretti was the first driver to attempt the double in 1994. He finished 10th in the Indy 500 but had mechanical problems in the Coca-Cola 600 and placed 36th. Robby Gordon attempted the double five times (1997, 2000, 2002-2004). He completed both races in 2000 and 2004; however, he had mechanical failures in the 600.
After Stewart in 2001, no one attempted the double until Kurt Busch in 2014. Busch finished sixth in the Indy 500 but placed 40th in the Coca-Cola 600 due to engine failure in his Chevrolet.
Kyle Larson attempted the double twice—2024 and 2025. The first year he was unable to complete it due to weather delays. Last year, an accident on lap 91 in the Indy 500 left Larson 24th in that rundown. He then finished 37th in the Coca-Cola 600 where he was involved in a crash after completing 245 laps.
Source: “AOL Sports”
