Legge working to add IndyCar races to 2024 schedule
Dale Coyne Racing previously confirmed Legge for its Honda-powered No. 51 entry – partnered with Rick Ware Racing – for the upcoming Indy 500, which will mark her fourth attempt in the crown jewel event.
The Briton was eager for another chance at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” after last year’s outing with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing ended prematurely with a crash on pit road after just 41 laps. The result came after she set the fastest one-lap (231.627 mph) and four-lap (231.070 mph) qualification speeds for a woman in the history of the Indy 500.
“I needed redemption, so we worked on putting something together for 2024,” Legge told Autosport.
“Really lucky to have e.l.f. onboard, the first beauty primary sponsor in IndyCar, and just really want to have another opportunity at Indy.”
Some 24 hours after Legge was announced for DCR’s Indy 500 effort, Gradient Racing revealed she was dropped from its GTD lineup in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
When asked if the situation was a result of trying to put together more IndyCar opportunities, Legge, who hasn’t raced other IndyCar rounds outside of the Indy 500 since 2012, provided an update.
“We are working on some things that we will announce soon hopefully, on the IndyCar side,” Legge said.
“It was an unfortunate split with Gradient, but they needed money, and we went our own separate ways.”
After being pressed on if there were any plans to contest more IMSA events this year, Legge smiled and simply said: “Maybe.”
It is likely that any potential races added to Legge’s schedule will see her remain with DCR, where she previously drove during the 2007 Champ Car season, collecting two top 10s – including a best of sixth (Las Vegas GP) – behind the wheel of the Panoz DP01.
She was also the first woman to lead a Champ Car event, doing so in 2006.
“Dale and (his wife) Gail are still the same,” she said. “It’s amazing. I don’t think they’ve aged.
“The team is still great. There are a few people who are still around from back then.”
During the Long Beach weekend, a fan drew Legge’s eyes to a hero card from her Champ Car days, to which she stated: “I looked like a baby back then.”
Continuing to paise DCR, Legge, who was recently inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame, said: “It [the team] is great.
“They have been stalwarts in the IndyCar paddock for decades. I’m proud to be racing with them again.”
For Legge, the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America after scoring an Atlantic Championship victory on the Streets of Long Beach in 2005, this latest effort would not be possible with e.l.f. Cosmetics, which increased their efforts from being an associate sponsor in the Indy 500 last year.
“I guess they like what I stand for,” Legge said. “They want to empower women, showcase female talent, and get behind women in sports and a whole bunch of other stuff.
“I was very fortunate that my team put together a deal with them to be the primary [sponsor] and I think it’s going to be very impactful, and it’s going to be special. To do anything for the first time is special.”