Katherine Legge finished 19th in the Grant Park 165 on Sunday, becoming the first woman since Danica Patrick in 2017 to finish in the top 20 of a NASCAR Cup Series race
12:53 ET, 08 Jul 2025Updated 12:53 ET, 08 Jul 2025
Katherine Legge made history on Sunday(Image: Getty Images)
Katherine Legge raced to a 19th place finish in the chaotic Chicago Street Race, officially known as the Grant Park 165, on Sunday.
Aged 44, she became the first female racer since Danica Patrick in 2017 to crack the top 20 in a NASCAR Cup Series race, achieving this milestone in just her third NASCAR start. Before taking to the track on Sunday, Legge had to battle through the qualifiers, edging out Corey Heim of 23XI Racing by less than one-tenth of a second to secure her position.
She also matches Patrick’s political beliefs, who has spoken out in support of Donald Trump in recent years.
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“I tried my best to mess that qualifying up, honestly,” Legge said. “It was a lot of pressure to come in with only 20 minutes of practice on a street course where there is no room for error [and] try to put it in the show. I actually feel pretty good about it now.
“We would have been a lot faster had I not kept nicking the walls. I’ve given my crew a lot of work to do. Sorry guys!
“But I just had to keep pushing and put it in the show, which we did, so I’m very proud of them. I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow and a little bit less stress.”
While Patrick never clinched a Cup Series victory, she scored seven top-10 finishes across 191 races, twice ranking 24th in the overall points tally.
Legge’s No. 78 car performed well around the Chicago streets(Image: Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Shane van Gisbergens flaunted his racing prowess once again, seizing his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2025 season. It’s also his second win in three Cup Series races around the Chicago Street Course; he also won the Xfinity Series’ event, which means the New Zealand star has won four of the six races since the race arrived on the calendar in 2023.
The event was also marked by an early catastrophe when Carson Hocevar prompted a considerable crash on lap three, resulting in an early conclusion for his and three other drivers’ race day.
“Wrong spot, wrong time,” Keselowski commented on the incident. “The No. 77 wrecked [and] blocked the track. I was going to get stopped, or if I was going to hit him, it was going to be very light.
“Then, like three cars came in from behind and blasted us. It broke the left-front suspension off the cars. It’s a shame, we never really got a chance to show what we have, but that’s just how it goes.”
The Cup Series continues with the next race at Sonoma Raceway on Sun., July 13.