Katherine Legge breaks silence on “death threats” after dramatic Rockingham race

Katherine Legge has shared details about the harassment she faced following the controversial Xfinity race at Rockingham.

Katherine Legge breaks silence on “death threats” after dramatic Rockingham race

Katherine Legge (Via @IndyCar/X)

Female British racer Katherine Legge made first of her scheduled six Xfinity starts of the 2025 season last week at Rockingham. The primary goal was to redeem herself from controversial run in the Phoenix Cup race. Unfortunately, her 6th career Xfinity start was a disappointment owing to controversial qualifying and the Kasey Kahane wreck while getting lapped.

Some NASCAR fans turned on Katherine Legge over the incident and a few of the crossed the line with insensitive comments. In her podcast, Throttle Therapy, the veteran racer shared details of the extent of the harassment she faces that includes death threats and inappropriate se**al comments. She has come out calling these unacceptable reactions.

Being a woman racing in NASCAR comes with an incredible sense of pride. And obviously it comes with a level of scrutiny and harassment. The hate mail, the death threats, and the inappropriate se**al comments that I’ve received aren’t just disturbing, they’re unacceptable.

Katherine Legge said via Throttle Therapy podcast.

She reminded the “supposed NASCAR fans” who sent her such disgusting messages that she will not tolerate any such comments that threats her safety as well as her dignity. Regardless of the reason behind it, a true NASCAR fan should never harass the competitor and should always respect the hard work of each athlete.

Let me very clear, I’m here to race and I’m here to compete and I won’t tolerate any of these threats to my safety or to my dignity, whether that’s on track or off of it.

Katherine Legge noted.

Further talking on the point, Legge highlighted how she always has room for criticism from the fans, when it is constructive and are born out of passion. She loves and respect the fans who makes suggestions that will help her to improve as a racer, while also making her more willing to take reasonability for mistakes on the track.

Racing is a passionate sport and I understand fans have strong opinions. And honestly, I love that, and I respect that. Constructive criticism is part of the game. I’m always open to learning and improving, I will always take accountability for the mistakes that I make.

Katherine Legge added.

Katherine Legge is really disappointed with the NASCAR fans

In the same podcast, Legge asserted that there is a really thin line between criticism and personal attacks. It is disappointing if the line crosses more often than usual and that hurts her or any racer that become the victim of such abuse.

Katherine Legge
Katherine Legge (via on3.com)

However, what I think people need to understand is there’s a very thin line between feedback and personal attacks. It’s really disappointing for me to see how often that line gets crossed.

Katherine Legge said.

She then pin-pointed the reason why female racer often becomes the targets of these comments. Legge asserted that this is because motorsports is a male dominated space and some fans doesn’t want changes. She also highlighted that ignoring these comments and normalizing them will only make the situation more toxic.

The level of hate that myself and my team are experiencing at the moment is part of a broader issue that I believe women specifically face in male-dominated spaces. … We can’t normalize this issue. There’s nothing normal about it. It’s totally unacceptable. I have earned my seat on that racetrack.

Katherine Legge added.

The comments from the veteran racer, shows this isn’t the first time she has faced such vile criticism and is knows how to give the perfect response. It will be interesting to see how long it would take Legge to shuts these critics with a strong Xfinity outing in 2025.

Also Read: Kurt Busch breaks silence on NASCAR Hall of Fame nomination