Legge: Cup Series debut in Phoenix was 'baptism by fire'

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Katherine Legge spent 25 years working her way through professional motorsports before getting her shot at driving a NASCAR Cup Series car.

Her first go-round was a bumpy ride.

The first woman to drive a Cup Series car in seven years, Legge spun out twice and didn't finish the race in her debut at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday.

“It was baptism by fire,” Legge told Fox Sports. “I think there’s a lot of positives to take from it. Obviously, there were mistakes made, but I learned so much. Hopefully, I get to come back.”

Legge had raced everything from dirt bikes to IndyCars during her climb through the ranks, learning she would get her Cup Series shot about 10 days before Sunday's race. The English driver had limited experience on ovals, spending much of her prep time in a simulator in North Carolina before becoming the first female driver on the circuit since Danica Patrick at the 2018 Daytona 500.

Legge struggled in qualifying at the mile oval in the desert, so she and the Live Fast Motorsports team opted to make several overnight changes to her No. 78 Chevrolet.

It didn't work out quite how they wanted.

Fighting the car from the start, Legge spun out on lap 4 of the 312-mile race before returning to the field. She struggled to make up any ground and spun again late in the race after bumping off another car, taking out Daniel Suarez with her.

Legge couldn't continue to race and finished 30th.

“I was so loose. I was hanging onto it,” she said. "We kept making adjustments. We kept making the car way more stable for me. At the end there, I think we were relatively quick, so it wasn’t bad. I wish we hadn’t made the changes. It was a rough start.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing