Former NASCAR driver breaks silence with a straightforward verdict on Katherine Legge’s Rockingham turmoil

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Massimiliano Papis, aka Max Papis, recently broke his silence about Katherine Legge's Rockingham controversy. During the latest episode of his podcast on X, the latter revealed the wreck was not completely Legge's fault.

During the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black's Tire held on April 19, 2025, at Rockingham Speedway, Legge had a frustrating day. She faced two major setbacks in the race, starting from her qualifying session. She completed the lap in 23.397 seconds, but due to a lack of car owner points, Legge began the race from the back of the pack.

Following a slow start, on lap 53, Katherine Legge was involved in an accident with Joe Gibbs Racing driver William Sawalich. The 18-year-old driver was running among the top five, and after getting to the back of Legge, he sent her spinning into Kasey Kahne's path. Reflecting on the same, Max Papis stated (via X):

"People think she's in the way, please. My take, first of all, she got wrecked. It is undoubted that the 18 misjudged corner entry. She cannot disappear, drove into the quarter panel, boom into the wall. Was she at the wrong spot at the wrong time? Yes, most likely, yes. I've been in the same situation. I think it's almost impossible for the people on the outside to understand how foreign, foreign it feels to be sitting in a heavy car on a heavy banking, on a high banking, with the car moving around all the time and getting swarmed and surrounded by people on attack." [01:30 onwards]

"There is no excuse. Let me start with that. There is absolutely no excuse. She chose to be there. Does she has the experience to be there? No. Was she given the right to be there? Yes. So think about it," he added.

After two failed starts in NASCAR, Katherine Legge will compete in the AG-Pro 300 race scheduled for Saturday, April 26. CW, MRN, and SiriusXM will cover the 300.58-mile race at Talladega Superspeedway.

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"A dream come true": Katherine Legge expressed her true feelings about her Cup Series debut in the 2025 season

Since the retirement of the 2008 Indy 300 Japan winner, Danica Patrick, Katherine Legge became the first woman to compete in NASCAR's top-tier racing series. Legge debuted in the Xfinity Series in the same year and joined hands with JD Motorsports. She competed in four races in the following year and secured a career-best finish of P14 at the Road America track.

After competing in the Xfinity Series, the 44-year-old joined Live Fast Motorsports for her Cup Series debut this season. She drives the #78 Chevy Camaro ZL1 for the team and expressed her excitement ahead of her debut. She stated:

“Entering the NASCAR Cup Series is a dream come true. I’m excited to team up with Live Fast Motorsports for Phoenix and to represent our sponsors DROPLight and Sherfick Companies. Racing stock cars has been an incredibly fun and new challenge that’s given me a renewed sense of vigor for this sport."

Katherine Legge debuted at the Shriners Children's 500 held at Phoenix Raceway in March 2025. Unfortunately, she got involved in an accident with Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez and was unable to finish her debut race.