INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Katherine Legge started Sunday by taking in the colorful prerace scene on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's front straightaway as her team monitored the weather forecasts in two cities.
It's become a familiar theme for anyone attempting to complete "The Double,” racing in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Larson tried it each of the past two years, but a rain-delayed start in Indianapolis caused
him to miss the start in Charlotte in 2024, and he crashed out of both races last year after another rain-delayed start in Indy.
Only one person, Tony Stewart, has completed all 1,100 miles, and that was a quarter-century ago. Legge is the first woman to attempt "The Double.”
“She’ll stay here throughout,” her father, Derek Legge, said while texting from a golf cart outside her garage. “We’re keeping an eye on the weather. It might even be delayed here an hour at a time.”
By then, Legge’s car was already on the Brickyard as the sold-out grandstands filled in and hundreds of people surrounded the cars on the track.
The English driver is starting from the No. 26 spot, the middle of the ninth row, at Indy, where she's driving for HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing team. Legge will drive for Live Fast Motorsports at the Cup race, where she'll start 37th after qualifying was rained out Saturday.
Rain was in the mix again Sunday in both places, too.
Less than 90 minutes before Indy's scheduled start, radar showed rain all around the iconic 2.5-mile oval, with ominous-looking dark clouds hovering over the track's first turn. But the precipitation held off and the remaining afternoon forecast had a several-hour window before there was a significant chance of rain again.
In North Carolina, meanwhile, the forecast was brighter for the start of the Coca-Cola 600. But the chance of rain increased significantly throughout the race.
Legge is certainly hoping for better luck than she had earlier this week. Her flight from New York to Indianapolis was delayed, causing her to miss Indy's annual media day. Then she had a communications problem in the final practice for the 500 on Friday. And after flying to Charlotte for qualifying, she flew back to Indy on Saturday night after more rain.
"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 on Thursday. “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 and they’re just keeping me in the loop.”
While the other five drivers who attempted "The Double” had months to prepare, Legge's teams didn't announce her attempt until last week. Since then, those behind the scenes helped Legge line up the helicopter ride she'll take from the speedway to Indianapolis International Airport and the private jet that will take her to Charlotte for the second race of the day.
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