Legge’s mind not on Danica

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006 | 12:32 p.m.

Now that Katherine Legge is slated to become the first woman to race full time in the Champ Car World Series, she is aware that the comparisons to the Indy Racing League's Danica Patrick are inevitable.

Actually, the comparisons started last season while Legge was winning races in the developmental Toyota Atlantic Championship and Patrick was grabbing headlines for her impressive fourth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500. Any rivalry that may exist between the two drivers likely will be ramped up this season now that Legge has been promoted to the Champ Car World Series with PKV Racing.

But Legge, a 25-year-old Brit, insisted she has more pressing concerns this season than worrying about what Patrick is doing in the rival IRL.

"You know, she does what she does, and I do what I do; that is it," Legge said during a national teleconference. "I think she's doing a great job in the IRL, but it's a different series, it's not Champ Car.

"I need to worry about beating Sebastien Bourdais, Paul Tracy, these guys. Maybe one day we'll get to race against each other - I really hope that happens and we can put all this to rest. But, really, the only thing that we have in common is the fact that we are both female."

Legge likely will replace team co-owner and driver Jimmy Vasser, a former series champion and longtime Las Vegas resident, in one of PKV Racing's two entries in Champ Car this season. Kevin Kalkhoven, one of the team's principals, indicated that Vasser would go ahead with plans to retire after 14 seasons in Champ Car.

Dale Jarrett isn't convinced of the effectiveness of NASCAR's plan to reduce bump drafting in the corners at Daytona International Speedway for today's 150-mile qualifying races and Sunday's Daytona 500 by placing additional officials around the track.

"There's no way that you're gonna be able to tell with the naked eye, and there's no way of knowing what was intentional," Jarrett, a three-time Daytona 500 winner said. "And how are you gonna judge what was too hard when the cars are running 190 miles an hour?

"You'd like to think (it will help), but I still don't think it's gonna do much."

Brian Hilderbrand can be reached at 259-4089 or at bh@lasvegassun.com.