Katherine Legge to drive No. 53 car in place of JJ Yeley after failing to qualify at Rockingham

Despite not qualifying for the Rockingham NASCAR Xfinity Series race in her No. 32 car, Katherine Legge will race today in the No. 53. It appears a deal has been made between Jordan Anderson Racing, Joey Gase Motorsports, JJ Yeley, and Legge.

JJ Yeley, longtime NASCAR driver and journeyman, qualified the No. 53 car into the Xfinity Series race today. Katherine Legge was able to run a faster lap time than five other drivers in qualifying, but due to Owner Points provisionals for the final six positions, Legge was one of two drivers to not qualify for the race.

Yeley qualified P31, second to last to make it on speed. His 23.289-second lap made it in. Legge’s 23.397 failed to make the big show. No matter, she will still be in the main event this evening.

Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic shared the news on X/Twitter. I’m sure no one will have any problems with this decision.

News: Katherine Legge to drive the No. 53 Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen entry in today's Xfinity Series race, originally qualified by J.J. Yeley. Both Legge's Jordan Anderson Racing team and Gase' are Chevy teams.

— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) April 19, 2025

People can feel how they are going to feel about this. I’m sure there will be race fans unhappy with the move. This is not uncommon in NASCAR history. Katherine Legge has seven races on her schedule between the Xfinity and Cup Series in 2025. Her sponsors and the people backing her expect her to make these races.

On top of that, Legge is new. She needs as much experience and as many laps as she can get. Shane van Gisbergen did a similar move at Daytona in 2024 for the ARCA race. He didn’t qualify, but a deal was reached with another team to have them withdraw from the race.

How did Katherine Legge get another ride?

Most of the time, there is some sort of monetary compensation for the team or driver who steps down. We do not know the details of this Jordan Anderson and Joey Gase driver swap, but it wouldn’t be surprising if money was exchanged.

Again, Katherine Legge has limited experience, a limited schedule, and limited opportunities to prove to her sponsors that they invested their money well. To see her find a backup plan to get into this race is not some big controversy.

However, make no mistake, Legge is likely getting into worse equipment. The 53 car is not on par with what Jordan Anderson Racing puts on the track each week. The only top-20 finish Gase has with either team came at Daytona in the 53 car.

JJ Yeley has raced with NY Racing Team in the Cup Series a number of times this season. He attempted to qualify the No. 29 car of RSS Racing into the Daytona Xfinity Series race, but was unable to make the field. Today, he qualified, but Katherine Legge apparently needed that ride more.