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

Having become the first female driver to contest a NASC🎃AR Cup Series race in sev𒐪en years at Phoenix in March, Legge will return behind the wheel of the No. 78 Fast Live Motorsports Chevrolet at Autod꧙rome 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 more, I jus🍸t didn’t know how to go about it,” Legge told 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 passionate about doing. I have so much fun doing it and am so motivated. I’m working hard at it. I really wan🌊t to make thisღ home.”

Legge’s highly-anticᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚipate𝓰d Cup Series at Phoenix ended in disappointment, an accident with the No. 21 Wood Brothers For♑d of Josh bringing her outing to a premature end.

Recalling the race, she said: “It was a big uphill battle, but I respect the challenge and am not blind that it is a challenge going in with a team that wants to s🔥et 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 going to be my first foray and fly under the radar and thaꦑt didn’t happen. I wanted to use it to gain experience.”

Live Fast team owner BJ McLeod admitted that it’s difficuꦍlt for Legge to turn up to a race and 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 ♓that, but I can tell you that tജhe 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 one, not 20, not 30, all 36 or however many are there. They truly are that good, and it makes it extremely difficult for her because even𒁃 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 Chicago, Sonoma, Watkins Glen and Richmond. She will also make two additional appearances in the Xfinity Series, having already raced five ti🤡mes in NASCAR’s second-tier national series this year.

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

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