NEW YORK – e.l.f. is expanding its partnership with professional race car driver Katherine Legge, proudly becoming the first-ever beauty brand to serve as a primary sponsor of an entry in the Indianapolis 500, the largest single-day sporting event in the world. Legge looks to make her fourth Indy 500 start at the 108th running on May 26, 2024, driving the No. 51 e.l.f. Honda Dallara for Dale Coyne Racing with RWR.
“I’m honored to be back at the 500 to represent such a groundbreaking and historic effort put forward by e.l.f.,” said Legge. “e.l.f. is truly changing the face of motorsports by lifting women up and challenging norms. Janet Guthrie set the stage for this type of moment back in the ‘70s and I’m honored to carry it forward with Dale Coyne Racing with RWR this year. When I was nine years old, I decided I wanted to be a race car driver, and I never would have dreamed a beauty brand would one day be my primary sponsor in the Indy 500. Together with DCR, Honda, and e.l.f., we will truly empower women who are breaking barriers, pushing boundaries, and testing the limits by giving them the confidence and a path towards realizing their dreams, whatever they may be!”
e.l.f. first partnered with Legge at the 2023 Indy 500 when she set the fastest one-lap (231.627 mph) and four-lap (231.070 mph) qualification speeds for a woman in the history of the Indy 500.
Legge is the embodiment of e.l.f.’s vision, said Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Beauty. “Katherine is a bold disruptor with a kind heart. She is a force driven by positivity, inclusivity and accessibility. She takes to the track motivated to pave the way for future drivers who might not currently see themselves behind the wheel at big races. Her presence is helping to shape the future culture of racing,” Marchisotto said. “We are proud to sponsor Katherine as a beacon of limitless possibilities”.
In 2012, Legge became just the ninth woman to qualify for the Indy 500, following Guthrie who was the first in 1977, and is the only female driver entered in this year’s race. The springboard for Legge’s professional career was winning on the Streets of Long Beach in 2005, making her the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America. In honor of that historic accomplishment, she will become the first female to be inducted into the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame later this month in Long Beach, California, joining legends of the sport like Mario Andretti to be immortalized.
Legge will be competing in this year’s Indy 500 for Dale Coyne Racing with RWR (DCR), whom she also drove for in 2007 in the Champ Car World Series, now the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and the Series where she was the first woman to lead a Champ Car race (2006).
“We’re pleased to welcome Katherine back to our team after all these years. She’s had a good career since she first drove for us in 2007 and we can’t wait to start working with her again for this year’s Indianapolis 500,” shared Team Owner Dale Coyne. “We’re also excited to be part of this historic partnership with e.l.f. at the Indy 500. We look forward to working with them and making them proud in May.”
The 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 26, 2024, with coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET on NBC. The Indy 500 Open Test is scheduled for April 10-11, 2024, while official practice is scheduled for May 14, 2024, followed by qualifying over two days on May 18-19, 2024, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. All on-track action can be seen on NBC or NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service.
For more information about e.l.f., Katherine Legge or Dale Coyne Racing, please visit, https://www.elfcosmetics.com, www.katherinelegge.com or https://www.dalecoyneracing.com.
About e.l.f. Cosmetics
Since 2004, e.l.f. Cosmetics has made the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip and face. We make high-quality, prestige-inspired cosmetics and skin care products at an extraordinary value and are proud to be e.l.f. clean, vegan, cruelty free and Fair Trade Certified. As one of the first online beauty brands, e.l.f. continues to attract a highly engaged audience and set benchmarks with new digital platforms. Our brand is widely available at leading retailers such as Target, Walmart and Ulta Beauty, and has a growing international presence including at Boots, Superdrug and Douglas. Learn more by visiting www.elfcosmetics.com.
About Katherine Legge
Katherine Legge is a British professional race car driver, who is widely recognized as one of the world's fastest female drivers, with one of most diverse careers in all of motorsports. The springboard to her professional career was winning Champ Car’s Toyota Atlantic Series season opener on the Streets of Long Beach in 2005, making her the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America. Prior to that, she became the first woman to win a pole in a British Formula Ford Zetec event, and in the 2002 Formula Renault season, she bested the lap record set by eventual Formula One World Champion Kimi Raikkonen, which led to becoming just the second woman offered a F1 test since Sarah Fisher (2002). She has secured three championships, six race wins,15 podium results in her professional driving career, and raced in the Indy 500 three times (2012, 2013, 2023). A long time Honda/Acura competitor, Legge brought Acura its first ever win worldwide in Detroit (2017) in the North America portage sports car category of NASCAR’s IMSA (sports car racing). Legge has appeared on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tamron Hall Show, 60 Minutes, Modern Marvels, and Jay Leno’s Garage. Legge is represented by BRANDed Management and Klint Briney, who long oversaw the career of nine-time Indy 500 starter Sarah Fisher. For more on Katherine Legge, please visitwww.katherinelegge.com
About Dale Coyne Racing with RWR
Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) is an NTT INDYCAR SERIES team based in Plainfield, IL, about 40 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. The team has participated in every season of the INDYCAR/Champ Car World Series since 1984. DCR has claimed multiple victories and podium finishes over the years, including its first win in 2009 with the late, great Justin Wilson at Watkins Glen and back-to-back wins in 2017 and 2018 on the Streets of St. Petersburg with then driver Sebastien Bourdais. In 2021, the team picked up three more podium finishes and a pole position with former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean. Team owner Dale Coyne is a true racer with a long history in racing. As an Indy car driver for five years, and a team owner for nearly 40 years, he is among the most experienced team owners in the Series paddock and highly respected by his peers. Coyne is a Midwestern entrepreneur who designed and built Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL and is a franchisee of multiple Sonny’s BBQ restaurants. He is known for discovering and mentoring young drivers in the early stages of their career, such as current and two-time Series Champion Alex Palou. The team has run its #51 entry under the Dale Coyne Racing with RWR banner since forming a partnership with Rick Ware Racing in 2021.
SOURCE: BRANDed Management, Inc.
PR@BRANDedMGMT.com