SONOMA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 12: Katherine Legge, driver of the #78 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet, walks the grid during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on July 12, 2025 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

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Katherine Legge is going back to the scene of the crime. Not even a year removed from being robbed of a decent finish at Watkins Glen last August, the 45-year-old veteran driver will once again race a Live Fast Motorsports entry in this Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen.

It will mark her first NASCAR Cup race of the 2026 season.

Last year she started 37^th in the 39-car field and while she showed flashes of pace early on in the race, was left with a 36^th place finish, one lap down, her worst finish of her 2025 NASCAR Cup season. The finish was made even more disappointing coming after top 20 finishes earlier in the 2025 season at the Chicago Street Course (19th) and the Indianapolis Road course(17th).

Across seven Cup starts and six more in what was then the Xfinity Series, the season never quite found a rhythm. The low point came at Rockingham, where she was caught a lap down and tangled with William Sawalich, who had been running third, and Kasey Kahne, making his much-anticipated return. Kahne limped home. Sawalich didn’t. The reaction from fans was swift, loud, and not especially charitable.

So, then it would seem the 2026 effort is more of redemption tour of sorts, whether Legge wants to call it that or not. It’s a tour that starts at Watkins Glen this Sunday. It’s a sensible place for the accomplished road racer to search for glory, and a circuit where Legge’s résumé actually raises an eyebrow. She’s made 10 previous starts there across various disciplines, including a class win in the 2017 Six Hours of The Glen, where she took the GTD victory from pole in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

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The sponsorship for this effort will again come from e.l.f. Cosmetics.

“We’ve been looking closely at where to start my NASCAR Cup schedule this year, and Watkins Glen made a lot of sense from both a timing and performance standpoint,” Legge said. “This track has always been a favorite of mine—it’s fast, technical, and unforgiving. To be back here in the Cup car, especially with e.l.f. on board again this year, makes it really special. It’s a great way to bring together my road course roots with my newfound love for stock car racing.”

For the Live Fast team, the partnership gives both driver and team a bit of continuity, something Live Fast Motorsports can always use as it tries to punch above its weight in NASCAR’s top division.

“We enjoyed a lot of success together in 2025, and we are looking forward to building on that,” BJ McLeod, the team owner said. “Katherine brings a lot of experience, especially on road courses. She works well with our team and gives strong feedback, so we're excited to get back on track together and keep moving this program forward.”

And once the checkered flag falls on Sunday, there’s no time for reflection or recovery. Legge will head straight to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to climb back into an IndyCar to continue testing, with her sights set on the 2026 Indianapolis 500. If she makes the field, it will mark her fifth appearance in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

So yes, Watkins Glen might look like a return. But in reality, it’s more like the opening lap of a very busy—and potentially very interesting—stretch.