Katherine Legge will be the first woman to attempt the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Stephen Arce Grindstone Media Group/ASPInc.

This weekend, IndyCar and NASCAR driver Katherine Legge will become the first woman to attempt "The Double,” racing in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 races on the same day. Only five drivers in history have attempted to complete both races in one day, and just one has finished both. Legge’s historic attempt comes at a time when women have become increasingly rare in top-level motorsports competitions.

The Double

Together, the two races add up to 1,100 miles in two different types of race cars, an IndyCar and a NASCAR, at tracks in two different states. After Legge competes in the Indy 500 (she’s the only woman competing in the race this year), she’ll get into a golf cart, then a helicopter, a plane, another helicopter and finally another golf cart to arrive at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina to compete in NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 later that evening. The hectic trip will be her only time to rest between races.

“I don't think people realize how physical racing actually is. It's not like driving your road car,” she told me. At a recent practice, her average heart rate was 140 and topped out at 170. “It's the heat, it's the G force, it's the fact that you don't have power steering, you don't have very much in the way of suspension, so it's a lot to put your body through,” she says.

She has thought about doing the Double for years, and this year, with sponsor e.l.f. Cosmetics, she got the opportunity. “I’d be crazy not to,” she said.

Declining Numbers Of Women In Motorsports

While Legge will be making history this weekend, female participation at the sport’s highest levels has sharply declined. Within the Indy 500, there was a period when women’s representation appeared to be gaining momentum. Janet Guthrie became the first woman to race in the Indy 500 in 1977. From 2007 through 2009, three women competed in the race each year, and from 2010 through 2013 that number rose to four, including Katherine Legge in 2012 and 2013.

Since 2022, however, Legge has been the only woman in the field, competing in 2023, 2024 and 2026. Similarly, no women other than Legge have competed in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2018. “There’s nobody really on the on the IndyCar ladder at the moment, and that is bitterly disappointing to me, because I would love to be able to bring up the next generation and do for them what the likes of Janet Guthrie and Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher have done for me,” Legge explains.

Segregation And Sponsorship Are A Problem For Aspiring Women Drivers

Legge believes the primary reason that fewer women are competing alongside men in top-level races like the Indy 500 is the growing segregation of female drivers into women-only series. She points to the rise of F1 Academy, Formula 1’s all-female development league created to support young women in racing. While Legge says she supports the academy’s mission of creating opportunities for female drivers, she believes competing separately from men may leave women less prepared.

“I’m a firm believer that to be the best, you have to beat the best, and so they need to be out there racing against the best, which at the moment, unfortunately, tend to be male,” Legge says of the academy participants.

The cars used by the F1 Academy are also less powerful and generally less physically demanding than those used in Formula 2, IndyCar, Formula 1 and NASCAR’s Cup Series. To Legge, giving women less powerful cars risks sending the wrong message to aspiring female drivers. “It’s like you can’t do it with the big cars,” she says.

A second obstacle that potentially holds women back is sponsorship. “I think that a lot of companies aren’t willing to take the shots on women in racing,” she says. While sponsors have invested in drivers within F1 Academy, Legge says it can be more difficult for women competing directly against men to secure sponsorship. She credits e.l.f. Cosmetics with helping make her opportunity possible, saying the brand is “literally fueling my ability and opportunity to race with the big boys, because there's no reason why I shouldn't.”

Why The First Female Double Attempt Matters

When asked about the historical significance of becoming the first woman to attempt the Double, Legge said she hopes it sends a broader message about pushing past expectations. She says e.l.f builds campaigns around empowerment and challenging stereotypes, and they’re helping Legge reinforce the idea that “just because no woman has done it before doesn’t mean you can’t do it.” At the same time, Legge said she tries not to view herself only through the lens of gender. “I’m also a race car driver first,” she said, “and I’m just one of the very few who get the opportunity to do this.”

As the first woman to attempt the Double, Legge has no female role models to learn from. She’s turned instead to Kyle Larson, who tried the Double in 2024 and 2025. Legge says Larson and his team have become a great resource, particularly in managing the crazy logistics of racing two events in two states on the same day. The next woman who attempts the feat will have the option to seek advice from Legge.

If you want to watch Legge’s attempt, both races will be held on Sunday, May 24. She’ll be easy to spot on the track since both of her cars are chrome-and-pink, designed to resemble her sponsor’s lip oil stick packaging. Her attempt will hopefully inspire future generations of female drivers to go for tougher challenges.