Katherine Legge is in the Indianapolis 500 for the third consecutive year and fifth time overall, qualifying 26th in the No. 11 A.J. Foyt Racing/HMD Motorsports Chevrolet. Her best finish is 22nd in her rookie year of 2012.
She is also the first woman to attempt the “Double,” racing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR Cup’s Coke 600 on the same day.
Female drivers in the Indianapolis 500
Nine women have raced in the Indy 500, and another has practiced but didn’t make the race (Desire Wilson). Janet Guthrie broke the gender barrier in 1977. Danica Patrick is the most-accomplished woman on the oval, finishing 3rd in 2009 and finishing in the top 10 on five other occasions. Sarah Fisher has the most Indy 500 starts by a woman with nine.
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Katherine Legge returns to the Indianapolis 500 in 2026; how many women have raced at IMS?
Reporting by Scott Horner and Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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