Dale Coyne Racing beforehand confirmed Legge for its Honda-powered No. 51 entry – partnered with Rick Ware Racing – for the upcoming Indy 500, which is able to mark her fourth try within the crown jewel occasion.
The Briton was keen for one more probability at “The Biggest Spectacle in Racing” after final 12 months’s outing with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing ended prematurely with a crash on pit street after simply 41 laps. The outcome got here after she set the quickest one-lap (231.627 mph) and four-lap (231.070 mph) qualification speeds for a girl within the historical past of the Indy 500.
“I wanted redemption, so we labored on placing one thing collectively for 2024,” Legge advised Autosport.
“Actually fortunate to have e.l.f. onboard, the primary magnificence major sponsor in IndyCar, and simply actually need to have one other alternative at Indy.”
Some 24 hours after Legge was introduced for DCR’s Indy 500 effort, Gradient Racing revealed she was dropped from its GTD lineup within the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
When requested if the scenario was a results of attempting to place collectively extra IndyCar alternatives, Legge, who hasn’t raced different IndyCar rounds outdoors of the Indy 500 since 2012, offered an replace.
“We’re engaged on some issues that we are going to announce quickly hopefully, on the IndyCar aspect,” Legge mentioned.
“It was an unlucky cut up with Gradient, however they wanted cash, and we went our personal separate methods.”
After being pressed on if there have been any plans to contest extra IMSA occasions this 12 months, Legge smiled and easily mentioned: “Possibly.”
It’s doubtless that any potential races added to Legge’s schedule will see her stay with DCR, the place she beforehand drove throughout the 2007 Champ Automotive season, accumulating two prime 10s – together with a better of sixth (Las Vegas GP) – behind the wheel of the Panoz DP01.
She was additionally the primary lady to guide a Champ Automotive occasion, doing so in 2006.
“Dale and (his spouse) Gail are nonetheless the identical,” she mentioned. “It is superb. I do not assume they’ve aged.
“The group continues to be nice. There are a number of people who find themselves nonetheless round from again then.”
Through the Lengthy Seaside weekend, a fan drew Legge’s eyes to a hero card from her Champ Automotive days, to which she acknowledged: “I seemed like a child again then.”
Persevering with to paise DCR, Legge, who was lately inducted into the Lengthy Seaside Motorsports Stroll of Fame, mentioned: “It [the team] is nice.
“They’ve been stalwarts within the IndyCar paddock for many years. I am proud to be racing with them once more.”
For Legge, the primary lady to win a significant open-wheel race in North America after scoring an Atlantic Championship victory on the Streets of Lengthy Seaside in 2005, this newest effort wouldn’t be attainable with e.l.f. Cosmetics, which elevated their efforts from being an affiliate sponsor within the Indy 500 final 12 months.
“I suppose they like what I stand for,” Legge mentioned. “They need to empower girls, showcase feminine expertise, and get behind girls in sports activities and a complete bunch of different stuff.
“I used to be very lucky that my group put collectively a take care of them to be the first [sponsor] and I believe it will be very impactful, and it will be particular. To do something for the primary time is particular.”