Katherine Legge has qualified to race in the Indianapolis 500, making her only the 10th woman to have ever entered the race. She bested the now-retired Danica Patrick to become the FASTEST WOMAN to ever qualify for the Indy 500.
A beauty brand, E.L.F. Cosmetics, is sponsoring a driver for the first time.
This is critical since women still struggle to secure enough financial backing to compete for wins– it is also a sport where money (sponsorship) equals speed.
In fact, female athletes receive 1 billion fewer dollars in college sponsorships, and if/when they break into pro sports, they get a fraction of the pay, and only 5.7% of broadcast time that their male counterparts receive.
Compared to some sponsorships (looking at you, Red Bull) the sponsorship Legge’s is tateful; check out her wrapped #51 car, helmet, and racing suit.
On Monday, May 26, Katherine will attempt to become the first woman to win the race. (Danica Patrick has the best finishing position for a woman in Indy 500 history (3rd, 2009)
Vroom, vroom!