Katherine Legge says she wants to make NASCAR👍 her “home” ahead of her second Cup Series start in Mexico City this weekend.

Having become the first female driver to contest a NASCAR Cup Series rac𒅌e in seven years at Phoenix in March, Legge will return behind the wheel of the No. 78 Fast Live Motorsp🐻orts Chevrolet at Autodrome Hermano Rodrigo on 14-15 June.

Legge, now 44, said having an extended presence in NASCAR 🥀has been her target ever since she made four Xfinity starts with JD Motorsports in 2018.

“I loved it and wanted to do morജe, I just didn’t know how to go about it,” Legge t🅰old NASCAR.com. “I’m lucky that my sponsors pivoted with me and we’re all in on NASCAR.

“It was something that I felt incredibly passiꦯonate about doing. I have so much fun doing it and am 𒁃so motivated. I’m working hard at it. I really want to make this home.”

Legge’s highly-antic🌟ipated Cup Series at Phoenix ended in disappointment, an accident with the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford of Josh ജbringing her outing to a premature e♎nd.

Recal🥃ling the race, she said: “It was a big uphi✅ll battle, but I respect the challenge and am not blind that it is a challenge going in with a team that wants to set out to be an entry to people like me into Cup.

“They know where they are at and what they want to achieve. It was goi✱ng to be my first foray and fly under the radar and that didn’t happen. I wanted to use it to gain experience.”

Live Fast team owner BJ McLeod admitted that it’s difficult for Legge to turn up to a race a✨nd be competitive against Cup drivers who race every weekend.

“It’s the toughest thing that she’s ever come across,” McLeod said. “I don’t know that she would tell you thatও, but I can tell you that the group of drivers that get to do [Cup] every week are truly some of the best drivers in the world.

“All of them are that good. Not o𒁏ne, not 20, not 30, all 36 or however many are there. They truly are that good, and it makes it extremely diffi♑cult for her because even if she’s equally as talented, she doesn’t get to race every week. She is the only part-timer that’s trying to get out there, get up to speed and she has very limited stock car experience.”

Legge has further Cup Series starts lined up in C♔hicago, Sonoma, Watkins Glen and Richmond. She will also make two additional appearances in the Xfinity Series, having already raced five times in NASCAR’s second-tier national series this year.

“NASCAR꧑ is especially challenging🃏 for the sheer number of good drivers,” Legge admitted. “It’s a tough beast to tame, but I’m up for the challenge.”

“I thought that I was a lot better than I am,” Legge jok💃ed. “I have no doubt that I’ll getꦺ there. But how quickly? I thought I would drive the car a couple of times and then be up at the sharp end, but it’s taking a little longer than I anticipated.”