Katherine Legge pushes back against disturbing comments and “death threats”

In this polarizing age we all live in, social media can be a treacherous place. Unfortunately, Katherine Legge is experiencing that first-hand following her recent NASCAR outings. In a recent episode of her podcast, Throttle Therapy, Legge got candid about the Rockingham race weekend.

Legge was involved in an early-race incident when William Sawalich spun her out, damaging Kasey Kahne’s car in the process. This led to some explosive reactions on social media, and in what is sadly becoming expected these days across digital platforms, many of the comments took things way too far.

“I won’t tolerate any of these threats to my safety or to my dignity”

On her podcast, Legge had a lot to say about the criticism she has been facing, which has crossed over from performance critiques to gender-based attacks. While highly experienced in open-wheel cars and sports cars, her seat time in stock cars remains limited. She said that racing in NASCAR “comes with an incredible sense of pride,” but also “a level of scrutiny and harassment.”

She continued: “However, I will say that the hate mail, death threats, and the inappropriate sexual comments I’ve received aren’t just disturbing, they are unacceptable. Let me very clear, I’m here to race and I’m here to compete and I won’t tolerate any of these threats to my safety or to my dignity. Whether that’s on track or off of it.”

Legge went on to say that she is open to constructive criticism and is obviously open to learning and improving, but noted that” there is there is a very thin line between feedback and personal attacks. It’s really disappointing  to see how often that line gets crossed.”

It’s an issue that is not isolated to NASCAR, auto racing, or even the United States, but that doesn’t make it any less wrong, as Legge noted. “The level of hate that myself and my team our experiencing at the moment is part of a broader issue that I believe women specifically face in male-dominated spaces … We can’t normalize this issue. There’s nothing normal about it. It’s totally unacceptable.

“I have earned my seat on that race track. I’ve worked just as hard as any of the other drivers out there, and I’ve been racing professionally for the last 20 years. I’m 100% sure that the OEMs and the teams that employed me — without me bringing any sponsorship money for the majority of those 20 years — did not do so as a DEI hire, or a gimmick, or anything else. It’s because I can drive a race car.”

Breaking down the Rockingham race weekend

Legge also talked about how the hatred will not make her quit and that she remains “more focused than ever” in her commitment to the sport. “My performance and not my gender is what defines me as a competitor,” before later adding: “Luckily, I have been in tougher battles than you guys in the comment sections.”

Legge then went into detail about how her weekend at Rockingham played out. While much of the negative feedback came as a result of the in-race wreck, there was also criticism regarding how she made the race. She originally failed to qualify, but was able to secure a ride with another team for the race.

Explaining it all, Legge brought listeners in on how she had top 25 pace in practice. In qualifying, she got visibly loose at the exit of Turn 2 and she lifted — likely more than she should have, by her own admission. She still beat five other drivers but due to the lack of owner points from the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet, she was one of two drivers to miss the show. 

A fellow Chevrolet team was able to supply her with a ride with J.J. Yeley willingly giving up his seat. This is not an unusual practice in NASCAR. Legge then detailed how she had to get acclimated to a completely new car as the race got underway, but remained within a reasonable pace when compared to the rest of the field.

On the wreck itself, she broke it down moment-by-moment, noting how she was trying not to take any unnecessary risks. 

“I gave him [Sawalich] a lane and the reason the closing pace looks so high isn’t because I braked mid-corner. I didn’t. I stayed on my line, stayed doing my speed, which obviously isn’t the speed of the leaders because they’re passing me … and he charged in a bit too hard, which is the speed difference you see. He understeered up a lane and into me, which spun me around and Kasey Kahne was an unfortunate recipient.”

While the vitriol is easy to find, there have been those who have come to the defense of Legge as well, including Marco Andretti, who took aim directly as the hateful commenters.

You can listen to Legge’s full Throttle Therapy podcast HERE.