NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass has taken a strong stance on Katherine Legge’s Cup Series performance, affirming that NASCAR made the right decision in allowing her to race at a short track like Phoenix.
The 44-year-old Legge has competed in various motorsports, including the Indianapolis 500, Formula E, and IMSA road racing. However, her stock car experience is limited, with just four Xfinity starts and one ARCA race.
Bob Pockrass Supports NASCAR’s Approval of Katherine Legge
Legge received NASCAR approval to race in the Cup Series at Phoenix, but she spun out early in the race. After recovering, she spun again on Lap 215, this time in the middle of the track. Daniel Suárez, coming down the track, collided with Legge’s car, ending her race and severely damaging his own.
After the race, Suárez questioned NASCAR’s approval process and wondered how Legge was allowed to compete in a Cup Series race with minimal experience. However, in his column for FOX, Pockrass backed NASCAR’s decision to allow Legge to race in Phoenix.
Don’t get all spun out over Katherine Legge’s NASCAR Cup Series debut … why I am not second-guessing NASCAR’s decision to approve Legge for Phoenix @NASCARONFOX
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 12, 2025
Pockrass wrote, “Despite her struggles, NASCAR did the right thing in approving Legge, and it has nothing to do with her gender. She ran seven INDYCAR races last year, including the Indy 500. She did the ARCA practice day in Daytona, and it wasn’t her fault that she got in a wreck in the race. She has experience stepping into several types of cars.”
He added, “What more should NASCAR want in order to approve her for a short track (although arguably, the short tracks can sometimes be more difficult than the faster tracks)? Would you say she needs to do a certain number of ovals in the trucks and Xfinity before Cup? Her only oval stock car race was the 2018 Xfinity race at Richmond.
“The argument against that would be that the Next Gen car drives differently than an Xfinity car. And we’ve seen drivers spin out on their own before at Phoenix and at other tracks. The only difference is that those drivers have résumés, and it could be argued that those incidents were mistakes, not from lack of experience.”
Legge has been cleared to race at road courses and tracks a mile or shorter. This approval is common for drivers with some oval experience but limited stock car experience. Similarly, NASCAR also approved Helio Castroneves for the Daytona 500 based on his IndyCar success.
Pockrass also emphasized that Legge’s participation highlights the need for more women in motorsports.
“And Legge’s presence did help the sport. Any girl younger than 12 likely doesn’t remember ever seeing a woman race a Cup car. Danica Patrick was the last to do it in 2018. If you don’t think that matters, you didn’t see the posts from parents of young girls on social platforms.”
