Something happened again at Sonoma Raceway, and fans took notice. A familiar pattern is starting to emerge in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series, and it’s putting Katherine Legge back in the spotlight. After another strong showing, comparisons are heating up—and questions about opportunity, performance, and potential are louder than ever.
Quiet Consistency, Loud Statement in Chicago
Katherine Legge made headlines in the Grant Park 165 at Chicago—not just for surviving the chaos, but for doing something no other woman had done in years.
After bumping 23XI Racing’s Corey Heim out of the race in Saturday qualifying, Legge started 35th due to unapproved adjustments. But when the checkered flag waved, she had climbed to 20th—her first top-20 finish in a NASCAR Cup Series race.
That finish marked the best for a woman in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick finished 17th at Martinsville and Texas in 2017. It also became a fitting exclamation point on a growing trend: Katherine Legge has outperformed Carson Hocevar in all four Cup Series races she’s entered.
And NASCAR fans have taken notice.
NASCAR Fans React to the Stat: “It’s an Honor and a Privilege”
After the race, fans wasted no time pointing out that Legge, in underfunded equipment and with little Cup seat time, has consistently run better than Hocevar—who’s racing full-time in more competitive gear.
One fan wrote bluntly:
“It’s an honor and a privilege.”
Another joked:
“Josh Berry likes this.”
And in the kind of tongue-in-cheek comment typical of NASCAR Twitter, someone added:
“Ricky Stenhouse Jr nods in approval.”
There was even appreciation for how the rest of the field seemed to embrace the moment:
“I felt like every driver in the field clapped when Berry bulldozed Hocevar today.”
Chicago Performance Highlights Untapped Potential
What makes Legge’s run in Chicago stand out even more is how difficult the conditions were. No testing. Minimal practice. Back-of-the-grid starting spot. Yet she kept the car clean and on the lead lap—a feat many veteran drivers didn’t manage.
One fan summed it up:
“She’s in the worst equipment in the field, hands down. She finished on the lead lap. No testing, not much practice. Not bad.”
Legge’s effort also revived a long-running conversation about missed opportunities for women in NASCAR. A deeper comment reflected on her timing:
“I still believe she was the most talented female driver we’ve had in the upper levels of NASCAR in a long time. Never got into a position to show it… I think if she was coming up in short track racing right now, Dale Jr would be talking about her a lot.”
A Career Built on What-Ifs
Legge has been in and out of NASCAR’s spotlight for over a decade, with starts across Xfinity, IndyCar, IMSA, and Cup. What she’s lacked in consistent seat time or top-tier backing, she’s made up for in professionalism and composure.
Her top-20 finish in Chicago, coupled with her unbeaten head-to-head record versus Hocevar, has fans calling for her to get more opportunities—especially given how many younger drivers flame out with more support.
As one fan put it:
“Ricky Stenhouse about to beg for her to be his teammate.”
News in Brief: Katherine Legge Beats Carson Hocevar Again
Katherine Legge’s 20th-place finish at the 2025 Grant Park 165 in Chicago marked a breakthrough moment—her first top-20 in the NASCAR Cup Series and the best finish by a female driver since Danica Patrick in 2017. But it didn’t stop there. With another solid drive at Sonoma, she has now finished ahead of Carson Hocevar in all four Cup races she’s entered. Despite limited track time and underfunded equipment, Legge’s clean, consistent performances continue to earn praise from fans. Her growing track record is sparking renewed conversations around overlooked talent, missed opportunities, and what it might take to see a woman truly compete at the top level in modern NASCAR.
ALSO READ: Katherine Legge’s Stunning Chicago Surprise Earns Cheers from NASCAR Faithful
