Kevin Harvick slams NASCAR's testing system and teams citing Katherine Legge as prime example

Former NASCAR driver and expert, Kevin Harvick, recently called out NASCAR's testing system and teams for not doing enough to help young and rookie drivers, such as Katherine Legge, get accustomed to the Cup Series cars. In his recent statement, Harvick pointed out how teams try to save money by having minimal testing, something that has a direct effect on their performance on the track.

The Cup Series drivers can participate in various tests, such as the Goodyear tire test and NextGen car development tests. However, for a rookie, driving the new generation car at top speed can get tough, given that they would be competing against the best of the best.

As a result, more and more testing is necessary. However, in reality, the teams tend to carry out fewer tests to save money, which in turn hampers the young drivers in terms of their on-track experience, something that is blatantly visible during races.

Speaking on the same, Harvick, a former Cup Series champion, slammed NASCAR and the teams for not doing enough for the newcomers and rookies. Drawing the example of Katherine Legge, here's what the NASCAR expert said:

"I think Katherine Legge is prime example of the flaws in our testing system and being able to see how hard it is to develop a Cup driver with how difficult the car is to drive. And I'd really like, you know, for the rookies and the younger drivers to be able to get on the racetrack more. I know that the teams don't want to test and they don't want to do this." "The teams don't want to do anything to spend money. And that's a fact. And the teams are the biggest holdup in the progression of changing things, whether it be rules and things like that, because of the authority that they have through the Charter agreements. So you know, I think NASCAR would change more things if teams agreed to do that," Harvick further added. (25:46-26:32)

Katherine Legge is an experienced racing driver who has IndyCar, Formula E, and Champ Car race experience under her belt. However, she struggled when it came to NASCAR as she raced in the Xfinity and Cup Series races coming into this season.

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How did Katherine Legge's Cup Series race go down at Indianapolis?

Katherine Legge participated in her fifth Cup Series race in the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She qualified in 38th place, the very last for a driver, bar Denny Hamlin, who started behind her after the Joe Gibbs Racing driver crashed during qualifying.

Legge, driver of the #78 Droplight Chevrolet, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 - Source: Getty

Legge moved to 30th place by the end of Stage 1 and then improved to 23rd place by the end of Stage 2. In the end, she came home in 17th place, behind William Byron and ahead of Chase Briscoe.

So far, Katherine Legge, the 45-year-old driver from Guildford, Surrey, has five Cup Series races and 11 Xfinity Series races to her name.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee