Legge to make NASCAR Cup debut

Katherine Legge will become the first woman in a NASCAR Cup Series race since Danica Patrick in 2018 when the veteran makes her debut Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Legge will drive the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports. She becomes the first woman since Patrick made her final Cup Series start in the Daytona 500 seven years ago. Legge, who’s a 44-year-old native of England, has five career starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. She most recently raced in NASCAR at Road America in 2023. She ran the ARCA race last month at Daytona International Speedway. Legge has raced in multiple series over the years, including seven IndyCar Series starts last season. She has four career starts in the Indianapolis 500 and in 2023 set a record for fastest qualifying time by a woman. “Entering the NASCAR Cup Series is a dream come true,” said Legge, who’s one of nine women to have raced in the Indy 500. She has four career victories in sports car racing and has participated in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Legge has also competed in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Johnson retires from broadcasting

Jimmy Johnson, who won two Super Bowls and a national championship as a coach, announced his retirement from Fox Sports after being a part of its NFL coverage for 31 years. The 81-year-old Johnson made the announcement Monday during an appearance on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd.” “The most fun I ever had in my career, that’s counting Super Bowls and national championships, was at Fox Sports,” the Hall of Fame coach said “But I’ve made an extremely difficult decision. I’ve been thinking about it for the last four or five years. ... I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss all the guys.” Johnson worked alongside hosts Curt Menefee and Terry Bradshaw and analysts Howie Long and Michael Strahan. Johnson won Super Bowls with the Cowboys for the 1992-93 seasons and the college national title with Miami in 1987. Johnson coached the Cowboys for five seasons, stepping down after winning his second Lombardi Trophy and three months later was hired as a Fox NFL pregame show analyst. He left in 1996 to become general manager and coach of the Dolphins. He returned to Fox in 2002.

Serena joins WNBA team ownership

Serena Williams is joining the ownership group of the WNBA’s first Canadian franchise, the Toronto Tempo, the team announced Monday. She will partner with Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures for the Tempo, who will begin play in the 2026 season. Williams, one of the greatest tennis players in history, will play an active role in future jersey designs. She made her professional tennis debut at age 14 in 1995, and her last event was the 2022 U.S. Open. Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — the most by a woman in the sport’s Open era — plus another 14 major trophies in women’s doubles alongside her older sister, Venus. Williams is the latest former pro athlete to join a WNBA ownership group. Magic Johnson, Tom Brady, Dwyane Wade and Renee Montgomery already are owners. This isn’t the first ownership venture for Williams. She has a stake in the Angel City FC women’s soccer team. She also holds minority stakes in the Dolphins as well as TGL’s Los Angeles Golf Club, the virtual golf league headed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. —AP