Katherine Legge will attempt to make the Indy 500 for the second consecutive year, driving the No. 51 Dallara-Honda for Dale Coyne Racing/RWR with sponsorship from e.l.f. Cosmetics.
Legge, one of nine women to race in the event, will attempt to make her fourth start in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. She returned to the race last year after a 10-year absence.
Her sponsor, a cosmetics and skin care products company that recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, is believed to be the first beauty brand to serve as the primary sponsor of an Indy 500 entry.
“I’m honored to be back at the 500 to represent such a groundbreaking and historic effort put forward by e.l.f.,” Legge said in a release. “e.l.f. is truly changing the face of motorsports by lifting women up and challenging norms. Janet Guthrie set the stage for this type of moment back in the ‘70s and I’m honored to carry it forward with Dale Coyne Racing with RWR this year.
“When I was 9 years old, I decided I wanted to be a race car driver, and I never would have dreamed a beauty brand would one day be my primary sponsor in the Indy 500. Together with DCR, Honda, and e.l.f., we will truly empower women who are breaking barriers, pushing boundaries, and testing the limits by giving them the confidence and a path towards realizing their dreams, whatever they may be.”
e.l.f. Beauty 20th Anniversary event at NYSE on Monday, March 18, 2024. (Photo by Diane Bondareff for e.l.f. Beauty)
Katherine Legge and Kory Marchisotto, chief marketing officer of e.l.f. Beauty, celebrate the company’s 20-year anniversary during an event at the New York Stock Exchange (Diane Bondareff for e.l.f. Beauty).
Legge first partnered with e.l.f. last year at the 107th Indy 500 when she started 29th for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing after setting the fastest one-lap (231.627 mph) and four-lap average (231.070) qualifying speeds by a woman in the prestigious race’s history.
“Katherine is a bold disruptor with a kind heart,” said Kory Marchisotto, chief marketing officer for e.l.f. Beauty. “She is a force driven by positivity, inclusivity and accessibility. She takes to the track motivated to pave the way for future drivers who might not currently see themselves behind the wheel at big races. Her presence is helping to shape the future culture of racing. We are proud to sponsor Katherine as a beacon of limitless possibilities.”
The Indy 500 would mark Legge’s first NTT IndyCar Series start since last season on the 2.5-mile oval. Her best Indy 500 finish was 22nd as a rookie in 2012.
Legge, 43, races full time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD Pro Category. She scored four victories and 11 podiums in IMSA’s GT class in 2017-18.
She raced full time in the Champ Car World Series from 2006-07 and made 10 IndyCar starts in 2012. Last year, she returned to full-time sports car racing in IMSA after recovering from a serious crash in France that broke her legs in 2020.
Next week, she will become the first woman to be inducted into the Motorsports Walk of Fame for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, where she became the first woman to win in the Atlantic Championship in 2005.
Legge will be reunited with team owner Dale Coyne, whom she drove Champ Car for in 2007.
“We’re pleased to welcome Katherine back to our team after all these years,” Coyne said in a release. “She’s had a good career since she first drove for us in 2007, and we can’t wait to start working with her again for this year’s Indianapolis 500. We’re also excited to be part of this historic partnership with e.l.f. at the Indy 500. We look forward to working with them and making them proud in May.”
Legge will make her debut in the No. 51 during the Open Test for the 108th Indy 500 that will begin Wednesday from 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. The test will be streamed on Peacock.
