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Deegan becomes first woman to win Pro Series race

That car is a Toyota, folks.......

https://www.nascar.com/video/franchi...series-race/#1

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Deegan breaks down last-lap pass for historic first win

https://www.nascar.com/video/franchi...c-first-win/#1

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The actual pass

https://www.nascar.com/video/franchi...-series-win/#1

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Why NASCAR needs Hailie Deegan

Image via Monster Energy


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By: Kelly Crandall June 11, 2019 10:39 AM


The side of her race car might say Hailie Deegan, but perhaps it’s time we call her ‘Hailie the Headliner.’

At 17 years old, Deegan quickly took the NASCAR world by storm as a pretty, young, female race car driver. Lately, she’s been taking all the attention, too – albeit for what are arguably the wrong reasons.

Following the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race Saturday at Colorado National Speedway, Deegan was the talk of the town. In the process of winning for the second time this season, Deegan made contact with her Bill McAnally teammate Derek Kraus on the last lap in the final two corners.

Made contact. Ran over. Spun out. That’s what has sparked the latest conversation, not only about how she won, but the fact that Deegan’s three career wins have involved contact.

Unless one is a team owner, sponsor, or NASCAR official, there should be no telling a driver how to hold the steering wheel. What this incident has done instead is solidify the belief that Deegan doesn’t care what anyone on or off the track thinks, and she has repeatedly made it clear she’s here to win races, will do so at any cost, and then climb out and tell you all about it.

Deegan, like a Kyle Busch or Johnny Sauter, Clint Bowyer, and even a Tyler Reddick, is a firecracker personality who can make people cry with laughter or shake with anger.

Image via Monster Energy


Here’s how it went down Saturday: Deegan lined up on the inside as the leader for the final restart. Kraus made it three-wide on the inside going into Turn 1 to take the lead, leaving Deegan fighting for second place with Trevor Huddleston. Deegan took second down the backstretch on the final lap, and then into Turn 3 got to the inside of Kraus and sent him around.

Deegan celebrated while Kraus stewed. And when it came to her post-race interviews and social media, Deegan openly shared her side of the story, and offered no apology.

The highlights were that Deegan said she didn’t expect Kraus, who had a broken sway bar, to “take a swing at me like that” with his move in Turn 1. She said he doesn’t want to race a teammate like that.

But “in the end, I told you guys last week, you take a swing at me, I’m going to take a swing at you back.”

Plus, “hard racing’s hard racing. You want to race me hard, I’m going to race you hard. But that was some fun racing, I have to admit.”

There are not enough drivers at any level of NASCAR who openly share their unfiltered thoughts and intentions, let alone follow through with them. Deegan is a breath of fresh air compared to some Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers, who nine out of 10 times are flat-out lying when saying they would not make the same move Joey Logano did on Martin Truex Jr. last fall at Martinsville for a chance at winning and competing for a championship.

It’s not like this is a shock either. For months now, Deegan has been adamant with whoever will listen – including on THE RACING WRITER’S PODCAST – that she has to win races and the championship. That attitude is evident with every lap she completes.

Deegan is fearless, determined, and has no reservations on track about her competition – male, female or teammate. And for a sponsor, she’s plenty marketable, and she’s growing quite the fan base.

So right or wrong, Hailie Deegan is a headliner, and this is likely just the start.





Hailie Deegan, Insights & Analysis, NASCAR

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INTERVIEW: Hailie Deegan

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emailBy Eric Johnson | February 15, 2023 7:33 PM ET

Two seasons into her NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racing career, Hailie Deegan will make her debut for ThorSport Racing organization this Friday evening at Daytona when she climbs into the No. 1 Ford Performance F-150 for the curtain raising NextEra Energy 250. Poised to begin her third year in the Truck Series, Deegan believes the change to ThorSport is the clean sheet she needs to make to further accelerate her rise through the NASCAR Truck ranks.

“Yeah, for sure it’s a big change,” said Deegan. “Being on a new team now and with the team changing manufacturers and going from Toyota back to Ford, it is like everything is pretty much a fresh slate for me. I feel like I’ve had a lot of ups and downs the last two years in the Truck Series. I’ve had a few moments where I feel like I showed my abilities, but I feel like I haven’t really been able to really lay it all out on the table and that’s really what I’m looking forward to this year, and it all starts at Daytona.

“I kind of wish it started somewhere else like at Vegas or whatever so it is a little bit more in the driver’s favor and you have a little bit less luck on your side. But then again you have to be lucky in almost every race to have everything go your way. Daytona is the one race that you need to be extra lucky for, so I think starting off at Daytona, I’m going in with just a clear mindset. I’ve talked with my crew chief Rich Lushes a lot and we’ve set our goals of what we want to do and what our plan will be, and I’m excited for it.

“The ThorSport racing team is a very, very established team. They’ve accomplished pretty much every record in the book. They definitely know what they’re doing and I think that going to team and an organization that has so much confidence within themselves. I can already tell from what I’ve experienced from the team that they really believe in me. It’s not like I have not been in the Truck Series for the past two years. The team knows pretty much everything about me because I’ve been racing against their drivers for the past two years. You can see it with me being around everyone that they do believe in me and they have confidence in me, and they want to be able to give me the best equipment to go out there and show my abilities.”

At the Duke Thorson owned and operated race team, Deegan will join three-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton, 2021 Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes and Ty Majeski as ThorSport Racing teammates. And for that new competitive landscape she’ll now be a part of, Deegan is quite pleased.

“With the teammates that I’m going to be having, they’ve all proven themselves for sure and are well established in the Truck Series and our very, very competitive,” she said. “There are a lot of things that I can learn from them this year. I’ll have teammates that know what they’re doing and they know what they need to do and I can already tell that they are open to showing me those things and working with me. It has been really, really nice and it is going to be super good to have, especially having three full-time teammates.

Intriguingly, Deegan will be matched up with crew chief Rich Lashes for the 2023 NASCAR Truck Series. The mastermind behind Ben Rhodes’ runner-up finish in the 2022 Truck Series point standings, Deegan was equal parts thrilled and stunned when she was informed of the inner-team move.

“I was honestly shocked even when the made the decision for me to have the crew chief that I’m going to be going into the 2023 season with,” said Deegan. “I was honestly just hoping and praying that I was going to get this crew chief and it just so happened to work out that Rich Lushes was who Duke Thorson wanted me to be with. Having all of that work out and being given quality stuff from the moment I go over there is going to be really, really nice. I don’t have to get to a point where I have to prove myself in order to be given really top A-level stuff. Going over there and seeing how they want every driver to succeed is super awesome. You know, the past two years with the situations I’ve been given, or what I’ve been on the table with, haven’t necessarily been all what I needed to succeed. I think this year is going to be totally different because I feel like I’m getting everything I need. That makes me more confident in myself that I’m not going to have to go out there and try to attempt to make up for what is lacking.”

So what does Deegan hope to achieve?

“Going into this year my strong suit has been mile and a half tracks,” she said. “I feel like I just have a really good understanding of them. That’s where I’ve had some of my best finishes. The road courses have also been good. On these tracks we are definitely shooting for the stars. I know what I’m being given equipment-wise and team-wise, so I expect a lot out of myself and me being on my A-game and getting a lot of good finishes towards the front. Honestly, I feel like I’m doing everything I can and it motivates me to put even more work in to go above and beyond because I know I’m being given such a great opportunity.” Just remember that I have a pussy and you don't.