Katherine Legge announced Monday (April 27) she’ll attempt the Indy 500 as part of a joint venture between AJ Foyt Racing and HMD Motorsports. Her announcement brings the number of Indy 500-only entries to eight for this year’s race, ensuring the minimum 33 drivers will attempt to fill the 33-car grid.
Legge, 45, will be making her fifth attempt at Indy with primary sponsorship from e.l.f. Cosmetics. The only female driver currently in position to make this year’s field last ran INDYCAR in the 2024 Nashville Superspeedway finale and has spent much of the past year-plus dabbling in stock car racing.
Now, her focus returns to Indianapolis.
“It honestly feels like Christmas being back at the ‘500.’ Every time I return, I gain a deeper appreciation for what it takes, not just to compete here but to earn the opportunity to be here in the first place,” she told INDYCAR.com. “I’m reminded that I’m a small part of this enormously storied event.”
Legge has finished just two of her four previous starts at Indy, posting a best result in her rookie year of 2012 (22nd place). She remains one of just nine women (and the most recent one) to qualify for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The partnership will also be the first of its kind at Indy for HMD Racing and Foyt, which allows them to add a third, part-time entry for the 500 only. The collaboration grows from a partnership the two teams have in the NXT Series, where they’ve already won once this season with rookie Alessandro de Tullio.
“We’ve already seen what this partnership can do on the INDY NXT side with the speed, poles and race wins we’ve earned this season,” AJ Foyt Team President Larry Foyt said in a release. “HMD Motorsports has built an outstanding reputation and having them involved with this Indianapolis 500 effort adds another layer of depth to our program. Katherine is a talented and determined racer, and we’re excited to work together to bring this effort to life on the sport’s biggest stage.”
The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 50+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.
You can find Tom’s writing here, at CBSSports.com and Athlonsports.com, where he’s been an editorial consultant for the annual racing magazine for 15 years.
Good deal. Indy should always have a full field. Just wish there were enough starters to make bump day a big deal again. Oh well, excited for the 500!
Hocevar gets first win and you lead with this? My gosh, are you a subsidiary of Penske?
I guess the sexists weren’t able to buy the chassie like they did last year and prevent her from racing.