Katherine Legge will attempt to return to the Indy 500 for the first time in 10 years as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced she would be entered in the No. 44 Dallara-Honda for the race’s 107th running.
Legge has two Indy 500 starts, most recently a 26th-place finish in 2013. She placed 22nd as a rookie in 2012.
Her RLL car will be sponsored by Hendrickson, a manufacturer of suspension systems and components for commercial transportation.
Legge raced full time in the Champ Car World Series in 2006-07 and made 10 IndyCar starts in 2012. She primarily has raced in sports cars recently and was announced last month as full-time driver this season in the GTD category with Gradient Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. She recovered from a serious crash in France that broke her legs in 2020.
She also had a win and pole position with RLL in the the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY series in the 2018/2019 ABB FIA Formula E season.
Legge, whose team finished fourth in class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona last month, is one of nine women who have raced in the Indy 500, which will take place May 28 on NBC.
Welcome back, @katherinelegge!@RLLracing has signed Katherine to drive the No. 44 for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by @GainbridgeLife.#INDYCAR // #Indy500 pic.twitter.com/fVgANi1P5i
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) February 9, 2023
“I am thrilled to be back at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the biggest race in the world, the Indy 500,” Legge, 42, said in a release. “Bobby gave me my first chance to win races for the team in the Jaguar I-PACE series a few years ago, and it feels like a homecoming of sorts to be back with the team, especially seeing as I’m also very proud to be back with HPD in IMSA, and now in the IndyCar Series.
“Racing at Indy with an Indy 500-winning team and with Honda is an amazing opportunity, and one I am very grateful for and intend to make the most of. I’m hoping I can learn from my teammates and team members, and transition smoothly back to open wheel racing for May. I can’t wait to get to work!”
Said team co-owner Bobby Rahal: “After more than a few attempts, I’m happy to announce that Katherine will join us in our Hendrickson Honda for the 107th running of the Indy 500. I’ve been a fan of Katherine’s for many years and know that, in the right situation, she can be competitive and figure into the outcome at the end of the race. She has driven for us before in the Jaguar electric program and won from pole in Mexico City and finished on the podium several times, so it is nice to have her back with us to work together at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time. I know she looks at this as a chance to show everybody what she really can do.”
So excited to announce my #Indy500 entry with @RLLracing and beyond proud to represent @HondaRacing_HPD and Hendrickson in May 🎉👊🏼pic.twitter.com/Ea6w33yI3s
— Katherine Legge (@katherinelegge) February 9, 2023