Despite racking up two top-20 finishes in five races with Live Fast Motorsports and becoming the second woman, after Danica Patrick, to start and qualify for a Cup race, Katherine Legge found herself facing fan backlash. When she made a slight mistake and spun out at Phoenix last year, fans criticized her harshly. But it is that same backlash that she is now turning into a return to her open-wheel roots and a shot at the Indianapolis 500.

At that point, Legge was determined to return to the grind once again to prove herself as a better driver. In an interview, she said, “I think the naysayers are wrong, so I’m definitely going to go back and try again. I love the NASCAR paddock, and I see a future there, and anyway, I need redemption now, right?”

Nevertheless, her NASCAR schedule isn’t clear for this season, and it doesn’t look like she will be returning behind the wheel anytime soon. As such, Legge has shifted her attention back to IndyCar. She will return to the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 this year with AJ Foyt Racing and HMD Motorsports. Her primary sponsor is e.l.f. Cosmetics, and she becomes the 33rd driver confirmed for IndyCar’s crown jewel race.

However, Legge’s past appearances in IndyCar haven’t been highly successful. But she wants to put it all behind her this year.

“We worked incredibly hard to be back at this year’s Indianapolis 500, and I don’t take a single moment of it for granted. I’m beyond grateful to e.l.f. Cosmetics for believing that women deserve to take up space in every arena—including this one. Together, we’re proving that when you invest in a woman’s dream, there’s no limit to what she can achieve,” she said.

Her best finish in the Indy 500 to date is P22, which she achieved in 2012 with Dragon Racing. In her last attempt, she encountered mechanical issues on lap 22, which relegated her to a 29th-place finish. In 2023, she became the fastest woman to ever qualify for the race, posting an average speed of 231.07 mph. Although looking at her latest challenge from a realistic perspective, it is highly unlikely for her to finish any better again this year.

How good are Katherine Legge’s chances of securing a better finish?

AJ Foyt Racing might have a glorious past in the series, but lately their performance hasn’t been up to par. In the 2026 season, they have only gathered one P8 finish between their two entries. Getting hopes up for a miracle would be a mistake with AJ Foyt Racing this season.

They have been in a major slump for the past decade, with meager top 10 finishes throughout the season. The only silver lining in the cloud is their double top-5 finish from last season.

With the help of David Malukas and Santino Ferrucci, they were able to bring in a P2 and P5 finish, respectively. If they can retain the same performance this time around at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Legge might have a fighting chance for a good points finish.

To ensure that Katherine Legge gets the best from her latest ride, HMD Motorsports has left no stone unturned. Their partnership with AJ Foyt Racing is a highly opportunistic moment for the team, which is already making moves in the Indy NXT series. According to their president, Mike Maurini:

“We have worked hard to establish HMD as a leader in driver development, and to now be part of an Indianapolis 500 program alongside AJ Foyt Racing and Katherine Legge is something very special. Katherine brings a wealth of experience, and AJ Foyt Racing brings unmatched history, and together we believe we have assembled a program that can make a strong impression throughout the month of May.”

HMD established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the Indy NXT series in 2019 with a team championship title and two drivers’ titles in the following seasons. Even their previous season in the championship ended on a positive note as their Caio Collet ended up claiming the runner-up position in the driver’s championship.

Thus, AJ Foyt and Legge would be counting on their experience as proven winners for this season’s Indy 500 collaboration.