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Katherine Legge becomes first woman to race in NASCAR Cup Series since 2018

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Katherine Legge accomplished something no woman has done in seven years.

Compete in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The 44-year-old English driver made her Cup Series debut on Sunday at the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona, before being involved in a crash that ended her day early.

She was running in 28th place on lap 216 when her car spun out after making contact with another driver. As her car spun, it collided with Daniel Suárez, who was running in sixth place at the time.

Legge, who piloted the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports, became the 17th woman to compete at NASCAR’s top-level and the first since Danica Patrick in 2018.

Katherine Legge spun out and collided with Daniel Suárez on lap 216 which ended her race at Phoenix Raceway.

The 42-year-old Patrick last raced in the 2018 running of the Daytona 500.

Legge also spun out early in the race but regained control of the car.

She called it a “rough start” but commended the adjustments the team made throughout the race.

“I think we were relatively quick compared to the field, so it wasn’t bad,” Legge told Fox Sports. “We were trying to find some pace, and we found it throughout the race, but it was a rough start.”

On her first Cup Series start, Legge found positives to look back on.

“Baptism of fire. I think there’s a lot of positives to take from it. Obviously there were mistakes made, but I learned so much and hopefully I get to come back and do it again,” Legge said.

Legge, who is from Guildford, England, has previously raced in multiple series including seven IndyCar Series starts last year. She also has four career starts in the Indianapolis 500 and in 2023 set a record for fastest qualifying time by a woman.

Ahead of the race, Legge told reporters about her experiences as a women in the racing world while also hoping to see more in the future.

“It’s disappointing that there aren’t more women in IndyCar, NASCAR Cup, sports cars,” Legge said Friday. “Everybody says, ‘What’s it like to be a girl in racing?’ And I don’t know, because I only have my own experience. I don’t know what it’s like to be a boy in racing. So I know what my journey has been, and I know that it’s gone for me and it’s gone against me, and I know where the struggles are. And I know mentally what you have to do to overcome those struggles.”

Legge added it would “awesome” to get future opportunities to race in the Cup Series.

“I would love to do that,” Legge said. “I don’t think that we have any expectations that we’re going to go out and be competitive. I think if we finish anything but last, that would be a win for us honestly because I don’t have the experience that any of these guys have. I don’t have the car at the moment that’s capable of going and running up in front, so hopefully we can develop me and the car and everything else at the same time and we can get there.”

5 Good Things: One Mom Turned Her Struggle Into a Movement - Square

CNN 5 Things

5 Good Things: One Mom Turned Her Struggle Into a Movement

We’re celebrating International Women’s Day with five stories about women making a difference around the globe. Pumpspotting helps breastfeeding moms connect virtually and physically. Artists in this market have been doing better than men at auctions. A woman-led tribe is on a mission to protect salmon and the rivers they live in. This network’s helping to close the gender gap in venture capital. Plus, these female athletes are paving the way for the next generation.

Mar 08, 2025 • 18 min

Christopher Bell took the checkered flag to win his third race in a row with Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson rounding out the top three.

With his third straight victory, Bell becomes only the 29th driver to accomplish the feat in the NASCAR Cup Series’ modern era (post-1972), according to NASCAR. He is the first to do so since Larson accomplished it in 2021.

The NASCAR Cup Series schedule continues on next weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.





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Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray end coaching partnership after six months

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Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have ended their coaching relationship after six months as the 24-time grand slam singles champion continues to struggle for form in 2025.

“Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun & support over last six months on & off the court,” Djokovic wrote on his social media channels. “I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together.”

The longtime rivals, who faced off in several all-time classic encounters on the court, announced in November that Murray would be joining Djokovic’s coaching team.

The partnership got off to a promising start as Djokovic reached the semifinals of January’s Australian Open after beating Carlos Alcaraz in a four-set epic in the quarterfinals, only for an injury to cut his last-four match against Alexander Zverev short.

However, Djokovic and Murray have failed to rekindle anything close to that kind of form in the months since.

“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray said in a statement. “I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”

Djokovic’s best performance this year came in reaching the final of the Miami Open, where he lost to unseeded teenager Jakub Menšík. The 24-time grand slam champion lost in the first round at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells before Miami, and in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters and Madrid Open since.

As recently as March, Djokovic said he hoped Murray would be his coach through the French Open and Wimbledon.

The 37-year-old pulled out of the ongoing Italian Open at the end of April, and this week accepted a wildcard into the Geneva Open which begins on May 18.



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Jayson Tatum: Boston loses star to leg injury as Knicks come up huge at home to take 3-1 lead over Celtics

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Jayson Tatum will have an MRI on the lower leg injury he suffered during the Boston Celtics’ 121-113 Game 4 defeat against the New York Knicks on Monday.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Celtics forward went down with an apparent non-contact injury as he tried to go after a loose ball. He quickly grabbed his right ankle and appeared to be in a lot of pain.

Tatum was helped off the court as he couldn’t put any pressure on his right leg and was taken through the tunnel in New York’s Madison Square Garden in a wheelchair.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game Tatum suffered a “lower body injury” and will have the scan on Tuesday.

“You are always worried about someone’s health,” Mazzulla told reporters. “He’s the type of guy that gets right up. He didn’t and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is. It’s tough to watch a guy like him getting carried off like that.”

To make matters worse, Monday’s defeat means the Boston Celtics now trail 3-1 in the series and face elimination in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Trainers check on Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum after he was injured late in the fourth quarter.

Down by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, New York ended the period on a 12-2 run to take an 88-85 lead into the fourth.

With less than six minutes remaining in regulation of a tied 102-102 game, OG Anunoby drained a three-pointer to give the Knicks a 105-102 lead, which New York would not relinquish.

Four Knicks players scored at least 20 points with Jalen Brunson leading the way with 39 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 23 points and Anunoby added 20.

After the victory, Brunson discussed the comeback win and extending the series lead.

“It means a lot. It’s a big game for us, just the way we responded, is what I’m most proud of, sticking together and making sure we are not quitting,” Brunson said at the postgame news conference.

“That’s a tough team over there. Obviously, we want to get off to better starts, but they got experience. They’re the defending champs for a reason.”

Tatum finished with a game-high 42 points, tying Celtics legends Larry Bird and John Havlicek for the most 40-point postseason games in franchise history. Tatum also had eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in 40 minutes.

“That’s our brother, hate to see him go down. We know the type of guy he is. It’s tough to see him go down,” Celtics guard Derrick White, who scored 23 points in the loss, said after the game. “We just have to find a way to win Game 5.”

Boston guard Jaylen Brown, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, said it was “tough” seeing Tatum go down.

Tatum is set to undergo an MRI Tuesday.

“Tonight is tough. I think everybody is kind of at a loss of words just because, one losing a game, but obviously, the concern with JT. But we pick our heads back up tomorrow and go from there,” Brown said.

Brunson said he’s “praying for the best” for Tatum.

“We want to go out there and compete, but when a player of his caliber goes down and he’s rolling in pain like that, you know something is wrong, so that why I gave my thoughts and prayers because you never want to see something like that ever. ”

The Knicks will look to eliminate the defending NBA champion Celtics on Wednesday in Boston.



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Coco Gauff makes history with dominant victory over Emma Raducanu to advance to Italian Open quarterfinals

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American tennis star Coco Gauff put on a dominant display as she eased past Emma Raducanu on Monday to book her spot in the Italian Open quarterfinals.

The No. 4 seed dropped just three games in her convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over her British opponent in Rome, needing just 79 minutes to secure victory.

In reaching the quarterfinals, the 21-year-old becomes the youngest player to reach four quarterfinals in WTA 1000 clay tournaments since the top-level events were introduced in 2009.

Gauff will face world No. 7 Mirra Andreeva in the final eight on Wednesday after the 18-year-old came back to beat Clara Tauson in three sets.

Gauff is showing impressive form on clay at the right time with the French Open just around the corner.

The American has won eight of her last nine matches on the surface, with her only loss coming in the final of the Madrid Open to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff revealed after her victory over Raducanu that she has been focusing on her footwork over the last two weeks in preparation for playing at Roland Garros, and highlighted her forehand – which has been inconsistent of late – as a key factor in her win on Monday.

“I think, today, (it) was the reason why I won the match,” Gauff told reporters. “Especially on this surface, I think I can do a lot with it.”

Gauff was in control from the outset against Raducanu on Campo Centrale and never let up. She won 39 of her 59 service points and broke Raducanu’s serve four times.

Gauff has now won both of her matches against Raducanu during her career.

She admitted that it has taken some time to get adjusted to playing on a different surface in Italy but feels good about where she is now.

“It still feels so slow compared to Madrid,” Gauff said, “but I’m getting used to it with each match. I feel really happy with how I played. I think I really was the one dictating the match for the most part.”

Elsewhere on Monday, Sabalenka held of a stiff challenge from Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk to book her spot in the quarterfinals, winning 6-1, 7-6 (8) in two hours and five minutes.



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