Katherine Legge is first woman to attempt 'The Double,' driving the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in one day - BERITAJA

Indiana’s deficiency of glamour is simply a constituent of pride, rooted successful Midwestern practicality and endless level fields of corn.

Lately, though, the Hoosier authorities has been elevated by towering sports figures. And connected Sunday, 2 will beryllium the caller faces of the Indianapolis 500, which attracts much spectators than immoderate different single-day sporting arena successful the world.

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark will beryllium the expansive marshal. National championship-winning Indiana shot coach Curt Cignetti will thrust the honorary gait car.

But moreover those precocious achievers mightiness beryllium awestruck by 1 of the title car drivers. Or astatine slightest what that driver will attempt.

Not only will Katherine Legge beryllium the only female among the 33 drivers successful the Indy 500, which originates astatine 9:45 a.m. PT connected Sunday. The 45-year-old motorsports trailblazer from England will past alert to Charlotte to title successful the NASCAR Cup’s Coca-Cola 600, which originates astatine 3:29 p.m. PT.

That’s 1,100 miles of near turns about 2 oval tracks.

On the aforesaid day.

As awesome arsenic undertaking what is known simply arsenic “The Double” are Legge’s recreation plans from Indianapolis to Charlotte. Five hours and 44 minutes abstracted the starts of the 2 races. The Indy 500 takes longer than 3 hours to complete. The commute will return adjacent to 2 hours.

Legge plans to hustle. She will hop into a chopper moments aft the Indy 500 and caput to a adjacent backstage pitchy that will zip her 366 miles to Concord Airport adjacent Charlotte successful an hour. Another chopper will driblet her onto the Charlotte Motor Speedway infield. A play cart will return a beeline to her Chevrolet Camaro successful clip for the greenish flag.

At slightest that’s the plan.

“Being focused for a three-to-four-hour IndyCar title past a five-hour NASCAR race, it’s the aforesaid arsenic driving from New York to Daytona Beach beautiful overmuch at, gosh, an mean of 200 miles an hour,” Legge said. “You cannot suffer attraction for a 2nd of immoderate of that. I don’t deliberation anybody could comprehend that.”

Legge is the first female and only the sixth driver wide to effort The Double. Although her profession has included IMSA sports cars and Formula E successful summation to IndyCar and NASCAR, she has ne'er attempted thing this challenging.

John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson and (rest successful peace) Kurt Busch are the others who person tried.

Larson is the about recent, finishing 18th successful the Indy 500 and 37th successful the Coca-Cola 600 a twelvemonth ago. He besides tried successful 2024 but didn’t get to his car successful clip successful Charlotte because of a rainfall hold successful Indianapolis.

The documentary “Kyle Larson vs. The Double” premiered Wednesday connected Prime Video. It follows the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion done preparation, logistics and grueling reality of getting done the day.

Legge is opening to relate.

“I was reasoning about what I’m going to do pinch a hybrid strategy astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic telling group about really I’m going to do the double,” she said. “It’s this weird disconnect, right? Where you’re like, ‘That’s truthful cool.’ And conceptually, you cognize precisely what’s involved, but it doesn’t descend in.”

Busch, who tragically died at 41 connected Thursday from an undetermined illness, turned successful a valiant effort successful 2014, finishing sixth successful the Indy 500 contempt having constricted acquisition successful IndyCar. Engine problems torpedoed his chances successful the Coca-Cola 600, however, and he completed only 271 of 400 laps connected the 1.5-mile track.

“It was a situation I put distant for myself,” Busch said. “I enjoyed it. I soaked it in.”

Only erstwhile successful 5 attempts did Gordon complete some races, finishing eighth successful Indianapolis and 16th successful Charlotte successful 2002. A twelvemonth earlier, Stewart turned successful the about awesome double, finishing sixth astatine Indy and 3rd astatine Charlotte.

Andretti was pioneer of The Double successful 1994, finishing a respectable 10th earlier flying to Charlotte pinch a caregiver and registered dietitian to guarantee he stayed hydrated. Andretti was penalized for missing the drivers’ meeting, however, and sent from the No. 9 starting position to the rear of the field. He collapsed and withdrew connected the 91st lap.

Content pinch 1 title Sunday will beryllium defending Indy 500 victor Álex Palou, who will commencement connected the rod aft a four-lap qualifying mean of 232.248 mph. Six different drivers person won the title successful consecutive years.

Legge, who will beryllium racing successful her 5th Indy 500, will commencement successful the No. 26 position. Actor and Indianapolis autochthonal Brendan Fraser will beryllium the honorary starter and activity the greenish flag. It will beryllium the opening of an exhausting day.

“Honestly, I’m doing it because it’s a really cool point to do, and it’s benignant of for illustration this old-school epic badge of grant that you get for doing some races successful 1 day,” Legge told Fox Sports. “I’m not doing it to time off a legacy.

“You could do thing that you put your mind to if you want it enough. It would beryllium remiss of maine to not return that work seriously, but astatine the aforesaid time, that’s not why I group retired to do it. I group retired to do it because I emotion to race.”