Katherine Legge attempts ‘The Double,’ the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600
Indiana’s lack of pretension is a source of pride, rooted in the practicality and endless flat cornfields of the Midwest.
But lately the Hoosier state has been on the rise with rising sports figures. On Sunday, the two men will be the new faces of the Indianapolis 500, which attracts more spectators than any single-day sporting event in the world.
Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark will be the sheriff. National championship-winning Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti will drive the honorary pace car.
But even these high achievers can be stunned by one of the race car drivers. Or at least what that driver will try.
Katherine Legge won’t just be the only woman among the 33 drivers in the Indy 500, which starts at 9:45 a.m. PT on Sunday. The 45-year-old motorsports pioneer from England will then fly to Charlotte to compete in the NASCAR Cup’s Coca-Cola 600 race. It starts at 3:29pm PT.
That’s 1,100 miles of left turns around two oval tracks.
Same day.
Legge’s plans to travel from Indianapolis to Charlotte are as impressive as taking on what is simply known as “The Two.” There are five hours and 44 minutes between the starts of the two races. The Indy 500 takes more than three hours to complete. Transportation will take approximately two hours.
Legge plans to hurry. A few minutes after the Indy 500, he’ll hop on a helicopter and head to a nearby private jet that will whisk him 366 mph to Concord Airport near Charlotte within an hour. Another helicopter will drop it off at the Charlotte Motor Speedway infield. At green flag time, a golf cart will make short work of his Chevrolet Camaro.
At least that’s the plan.
“Focusing on a three-to-four-hour IndyCar race and then a five-hour NASCAR race is the same as driving from New York to Daytona Beach averaging almost 200 miles per hour,” Legge said. “You can’t lose focus for a moment about any of this. I don’t think anyone can understand that.”
Legge became the first woman and sixth rider overall to attempt The Double. Although his career has included IndyCar and NASCAR, as well as IMSA sports cars and Formula E, he has never attempted anything this challenging.
John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson and (rest in peace) Kurt Busch are others who have tried.
Larson finished last a year ago, finishing 18th at the Indy 500 and 37th at the Coca-Cola 600. He tried in 2024, but couldn’t get to his car in time in Charlotte due to a rain delay in Indianapolis.
documentary “Kyle Larson vs. the Double” It premiered on Prime Video on Wednesday. It follows the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion through the preparation, logistics and harsh reality of getting through the day.
Legge is starting to hook up.
“While I was telling people how to do the dual, I was also thinking about what to do with a hybrid strategy,” he said. “It’s a weird disconnect, isn’t it? You say, ‘This is nice.’ Conceptually, you know exactly what’s involved, but it’s not fully understood.”
Busch, who tragically died of an unspecified illness on Thursday at the age of 41, made a valiant effort in 2014, finishing sixth in the Indy 500 despite having limited experience in IndyCar. But engine problems ruined his chances at the Coca-Cola 600, and he completed only 271 of 400 laps around the 1.5-mile track.
“This was a challenge I set for myself.” Busch said. “I liked it. It pleased me.”
Gordon finished both races in just five attempts, finishing eighth at Indianapolis and 16th at Charlotte in 2002. A year ago, Stewart achieved the most impressive double, finishing sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte.
Andretti led The Double in 1994, finishing a respectable 10th before flying to Charlotte with a nurse and registered dietitian to ensure he stayed hydrated. However, Andretti was penalized for missing the drivers’ meeting and was sent to the back of the field from his 9th starting position. He crashed on lap 91 and retired.
Indy 500 winner Álex Palou, happy with a race on Sunday, will start on pole after a four-lap qualifying average of 232.248 mph. Six different drivers won the race in a row.
Legge, who will compete in his fifth Indy 500, will start the race from 26th place. Actor and Indianapolis native Brendan Fraser will make the honorary start and wave the green flag. It will be the beginning of a tiring day.
“Honestly, I do it because it’s really cool and it’s like the old-school epic badge of honor you get for doing both races in one day,” Legge said. he told Fox Sports. “I’m not doing this to leave a legacy.
“If you want it bad enough, you can do anything you set your mind to. It would be my mistake not to take that responsibility seriously, but at the same time, that’s not why I started doing this. I started doing this because I love racing.”
