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Katherine Legge entering Cup Series Playoff race at Las Vegas with Live Fast

JHby: Jonathan Howard10/06/25Jondean25
Katherine Legge NASCAR
Mandatory Credit: Jason Allen-Imagn Images

In the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Las Vegas, Katherine Legge is back in the No. 78 Chevy for Live Fast Motorsports. This is the first start for Legge since Watkins Glen earlier this season. It will be her first oval since her P17 finish at Indianapolis.

This season, in a handful of starts, Katherine Legge has two top-20 finishes. She has had to learn the Next Gen car, and has done it with rather poor equipment. But Legge has quickly learned how to handle herself and get the most out of her equipment.

Earlier this year, Legge faced heavy criticism as well as straight-up insults and threats online. Since then, she has proven herself on the track and earned the respect of her peers in the garage. Anyone who puts Live Fast in the top-20 twice in one season without a drafting track is talented.

Desnuda Tequila on the car for the 78 and Katherine Legge. Time to go racing in the desert, folks.

If Katherine Legge is going to have another strong run, she needs a car that can handle it. Live Fast did a great job at Indianapolis, giving Legge a strong car that could keep up with the field. Now, they have to find out how to do that at Las Vegas.

Of course, she has to be mindful, too. This is the Round of 8. As an Open driver, it is her job to get out of the way when the NASCAR Playoff drivers come in the picture. That is especially true if she ends up not having a great day and is lapped in the race.

At Phoenix this year, Katherine Legge made her Cup Series debut. It did not go according to plan. Legge spun out by herself. Then, she got into a wreck with Daniel Suárez as he was in the top-10 and lapping the 78 car. A mistake like that this week would be more than controversial.

Katherine Legge has shown serious talent

You have to give it up for Katherine Legge and her success in the Cup Series this season. At 45 years old, Legge is able to hang with active, full-time Cup Series drivers who are a decade or more younger than her. Her experience in sports cars and open-wheel cars has paid off.

For her to learn the car as quickly as she has, and to do it with Live Fast, is nothing short of impressive. Between 2021 and 2024, the 78 car only finished top-20 on a non-drafting track once. It was the Coca-Cola 600 in 2022.

Drivers like Josh Bilicki, Anthony Alfredo, and Sheldon Creed haven’t been able to do this well with the car. Katherine Legge has shown that she is a fast learner and a very talented racer. It will be interesting to see if she can follow up that Indy race with another solid result on an oval.