IndyCar Driver Katherine Legge Shares Her Race-Day Beauty Essentials: 'I'm Just a Girl's Girl' (Exclusive)

Legge, who was sponsored by e.l.f. Cosmetics for her fourth run at the Indianapolis 500 on May 26, spoke with PEOPLE about her race-day glam essentials and inspiring "girl power" in motorsports

When Katherine Legge is going full throttle on the race track, she needs a glam routine that will further fuel her confidence.

Before she made her way to the 108th Indianapolis 500 (also known as the Indy 500, the largest single-day racing event in the world) on May 26, representing Dale Coyne Racing in a pink Honda sponsored by e.l.f. Cosmetics — the first beauty brand to be a primary sponsor of an Indy 500 contender — Legge spoke with PEOPLE on how she gets her race-day glow.

“I keep it clean and keep it simple. I don't like when I look over made-up,” the British motorsports athlete, 43, said of her beauty philosophy, which centers around feeling comfortable in her own skin.

She starts off with core base products, including a moisturizer, a blush and a skin tint. But since her uniform requires a protective balaclava and helmet, which cover the majority of her face, she accentuates her eyes with a few swipes of e.l.f. Cosmetics' Lash 'N Roll curling mascara. The Glow Reviver Lip Oil adds just the right amount of glossy color to elevate her look in seconds.

Legge also can't go without sunscreen with a long day outdoors ahead of her. e.l.f.'s Suntouchable All Set for Sun SPF 45 — a quick-dry spray that doesn't leave a white cast — is a "game-changer" for both Legge and the guys on her pit crew. "I mean, it's really a staple. It should be in everybody's pocket."

The takeaway is that Legge’s beauty staples work just as hard as she does during a race. After “three hours of sweating in 100-degree-plus [weather], a helmet and fire suit, and getting wind swept doing 230 miles an hour," Legge says she's always pleasantly surprised at how good her makeup still looks.

And even though her glam is put to the ultimate test, she feels like other women and girls "can relate" to her back-to-the-basics routine. She even describes herself as a "girl's girl."

Related: Katherine Legge Gives Her Secret to Success in Empowering Pep Talk: 'Believe in Yourself First'

Legge fell in love with racing at nine years old, the same age she started go-karting with her dad every weekend. “It was the adrenaline, the competition and the camaraderie that drew me to it."

In 2005, she became the first woman to win a developmental open-wheel race in North America and by 2012 entered her first Indy 500, becoming the ninth women to ever compete in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" since 1911.

At this year's Indy 500, she was the only female among the 33 drivers competing for the 2024 Borg-Warner Trophy, the milestone recognized by the young girls and women who came out to support and meet Legge at her garage at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the day before.

“You can be a woman and you can be feminine, but you don't have to conform to what typically equates to race car drivers," she told PEOPLE. "This whole girl power movement where everybody's supporting each other is at the forefront, and it's really special to be a part of it.”

Legge admits, with so many eyes on her career, sometimes it feels like there’s “a lot riding” on her performance. “It means a lot to a lot of people and I don't want to let them down,” she shared. “But honestly, I can only do what I can do, so I'm going to go out there and give it my best shot."

Related: Katherine Legge Gives Her Secret to Success in Empowering Pep Talk: 'Believe in Yourself First'

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Legge isn't advocating alone. Since 2023, she and e.l.f. Cosmetics have been uplifting women on and off the track through their ongoing partnership.

e.l.f. Beauty chief marketing officer Kory Marchisotto shares with PEOPLE of the brand's mission: "We hope that Katherine inspires more women to disrupt norms by breaking through traditionally male-dominated arenas."

"Women belong in the highest seats of power alongside everyone else. Sports are prime for disruption as people are starting to notice the stars, the audience and the fandom that women bring to any game, match or race. Inclusivity matters," she notes. "The community is already there and no one is talking to the female fans the way e.l.f. is." (The brand has also worked with American paralympic swimmer Anastasia Pagonis and tennis icon Billie Jean King.)

Marchisotto adds that she was "very emotional and cried several times" witnessing young girls meet Legge at the Indy 500. "Katherine is clearing the way for new dreams to be realized as a champion of inclusivity and positivity, empowering women and redefining [what is] possible."

Legge has a number racing goals she wants to check off her bucket list, but the bigger picture for her is about paving the way for future athletes.

"There's still a bunch of racing goals that I want to achieve, races I want to win, races I want to do. Then there's inspiring the next generation and passing the baton on to whoever it may be in the future and seeing them succeed too."

Legge is competing next at the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 23.

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