It’s a man’s world…or so they say…but drivers like Jennifer Jo Cobb, Danika Patrick, Toni Breidinger, and Katherine Legge are out to prove otherwise.

British born driver Katherine Legge has been a part of four Indianapolis 500 races and has now turned her hand…or steering wheel…to NASCAR. 

The race last week at Rockingham in the Xfinity Series was her second start in NASCAR this season.  After not making the race on her qualifying time, Legge took over the driving duties for JJ Yeley in the Joey Gase Motorsports 53 car.  Fifty laps into the race Legge was hit by rookie William Sawalich and in the process crashed into Kasey Kahne who was trying to pass and was just caught up in the crash.  Several more races in both Xfinity and Cup Series are scheduled for this year.

As a result, Legge has seen a great deal of negative online attention.

In response Legge said, “I keep coming to you all with this drama that I hate. It hasn’t been that way in the past, so this is a new phenomenon for me.  Being a woman racing in NASCAR, it comes with an incredible sense of pride. It comes with a level of scrutiny and harassment. The hate mail, the death threats and the inappropriate sexual comments that I have received on just disturbing. They’re unacceptable.”

She added, ‘let me be very clear: I am here to race. I’m here to compete. I won’t tolerate any of these threats to my safety, or to my dignity, whether that’s on track or off of that.  Racing is a passionate sport, and I understand fans have strong opinions. I love that and I respect that about our sport. Constructive criticism is part of the game, and I’m always open to listening and improving. I will always take accountability for the mistakes that I make.  However, what I think people need to understand is that there’s a line between feedback and personal attacks, and it’s really disappointing to see how often that line gets crossed.”

In response to the on track contact with Sawalich, “I stayed on my line and kept doing my speed. … He charged into the corner a bit too hard, which is the speed difference that you see, and he lifted up a lane into me.”

Legge noted that she has not personally read the remarks, but was told about them by friends.