"It’s a little more difficult": When Hailie Deegan opened up about the uphill battle for respect in NASCAR

When she first burst onto the NASCAR scene, Hailie Deegan knew she had a big challenge ahead of her with regard to gaining respect on the racetrack. The three-time ARCA Menards Series West winner once opened up about the difficulty of being a female driver in NASCAR.

Back in 2020, Deegan was quoted in a Forbes article discussing what hurdles she faced. As a woman and a newer driver, the California native knew she'd have to earn her stripes and gain the respect of her competitors. She said:

"I think that being a girl, it’s a little more difficult. But going into the stock car world without much pavement experience, I had to show that I could get some results and be about to run up front, battle with everyone else, win races, and just be competitive. But it also comes from how you carry yourself off-track, how much work you put into your races, and what you do to prepare."

When asked if she talks to other women involved in NASCAR, Hailie Deegan responded by saying:

"Usually, when I talk with other drivers, it’s about past races, what they did, tips for different tracks, especially others in the Ford family. Main thing for me is that I talk the most with my teammates. I think the people you race with is where you can learn a lot—those people that you hang out with."

Hailie Deegan won her first career NASCAR-sanctioned race in 2018 in the ARCA Menards Series West, becoming the first woman to win a race in that series. She won two more races the following year before moving up to the main ARCA Menards Series full-time in 2020.

Hailie Deegan finished third in the ARCA standings in 2020 and moved up to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series full-time in 2021 to drive for David Gilliland Racing. In her rookie campaign, Deegan recorded one top 10 and finished 17th in the points standings. In 2022, Deegan recorded two top 10s but declined in the points standings as she finished 21st. In 2023, Deegan moved to ThorSport Racing to drive the #13 truck. Once again, she recorded two top-10 finishes but finished 19th in the points standings.

Deegan moved up to the Xfinity Series full-time in 2024 to pilot the #15 AM Racing Ford. She ran 17 races, but midway through the season, Deegan and AM Racing parted ways. It's the last she's raced in NASCAR.

Hailie Deegan now competes in Indy NXT

Hailie Deegan is no longer a NASCAR driver, but her racing career isn't over yet. The 23-year-old now competes in the Firestone Indy NXT Series, which is the highest step on the Road to Indy. The Road to Indy is a developmental program under the NTT IndyCar Series banner.

Deegan drives for HMD Motorsports in the series. Her first race was at St. Petersburg on March 2, where she finished in 14th place.

Prior to NASCAR, Deegan competed in two races in the CARS Late Model Tour. She also formally competed in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), a series once run by retired three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.