Completing in a variety of motorsports disciplines, from sportscar to open-wheel, Katherine Legge has made a name for herself. This season brings a new challenge, though, as she will compete in three NASCAR road course events.

Ahead of her second NASCAR XFINITY Series start at Road America, the JD Motorsports driver shared her thoughts with POPULAR SPEED.

POPULAR SPEED: What are your thoughts going into Road America?

KATHERINE LEGGE: So I’m super excited to be going to Road America for my second race. I have Mid-Ohio under my belt and I have a great team behind me. It’s a track I know well so I’m looking forward to it a lot.

PS: Why did you make the decision to try stock cars for the next step of your career?

KL: I’ve always wanted to drive a stock car. I’ve got my teammate Justin Marks, and one of my best friends Andy Lally telling me how awesome it is, and honestly I had so much fun in Mid-Ohio that they were absolutely right. It was just the right thing that came along at the right time, and I am fortunate to have the right people around me. My good friends Steve and Eileen that have supported me. It was just one of those things that came together at the right time.

PS: What was the biggest surprise, and perhaps your biggest takeaway, from your XFINITY debut at Mid-Ohio?

KL: I don’t think anything was a surprise just because I didn’t know what to expect. I had it explained to me about the brakes, and about how heavy the cars were, so I don’t think anything was a surprise – no, just the biggest surprise was I’ve been racing for many years and I think I know what I am supposed to do, but I had no idea where I was supposed to go. It was all new. The biggest surprise was being such a rookie.

PS: Now would you be interested in running an oval down the road?

KL: Absolutely. I want to race in racing where I win, and I want to race anything and everything that will give me an opportunity to win. I love racing; I have a passion for it, and I’ve really enjoyed my time with Johnny Davis Motorsports in Mid-Ohio. If that was to lead to ovals, that’d be awesome.

PS: You’ve ran a lot of different series in your career. What still remains on the bucket list?

KL: I’ve always said I wanted to do Bathurst in V8 (Supercars) and I’d love to do LeMan, so there the two races that I kind of still want to do. I’ve got a deal to drive a Formula E car next year, so that’s going to be kind of cool and diverse to. So there’s a few other things that I want to do – Indianapolis 500 is still on my list; there’s a whole bunch of things.

PS: What does it mean to you to be inspiring the next generation of female racers?

KL: I never went into racing having that in my mind that I’d be a role model in any shape or form, but I think I’ve done it responsibly. I went into racing purely selfishly to compete and win for me, and then I realized I was in the public eye, and I would be influencing females coming up through go-karting. It’s an important role, and I take it very seriously. I always want them to look at me as a positive role model, and never do anything that they’d think is questionable. I just try to do the most professional job that I can do.

PS: How did you get started in racing?

KL: I started racing go-karts when I was nine.

PS: Looking through your career to date, what’s been your most memorable moment?

KL: I’ve had a few memorable moments. I had a big accident at Elkhart Lake – Road America, where I am racing this weekend in the kink where my rear wing flew off in an IndyCar. I’ve had some memorable wins – Long Beach, my first open-wheel win back in 2005. Right now, fighting for a championship. There’s been so many; I can’t pick just one as there’s really been a dozen high points of my career, and if not high points, really memorable points.

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