“Hailie Deegan is so much worse than Danica Patrick”, “She just sucks”: Fans lambaste AM Racing driver after Iowa Xfinity race

The NASCAR fanbase criticized Hailie Deegan after witnessing a poor show at the Iowa Speedway. The AM Racing driver couldn't improvise her race pace, keeping her #15 Ford in the rear of the pack for the entire debacle.

The Iowa Speedway marked the 15th Xfinity Series battle where Sam Mayer reigned supreme after benefitting from the double overtime and collecting his second win this season. On the contrary, as many as 12 cars succumbed to early exit from the race owing to accidents, electrical issues, engine problems, and whatnot.

Deegan kicked off her 253-lap run from 33rd place on the grid but couldn't outperform her rivals, finishing Stage 1 in 32nd place. The next stage saw little improvement and the AM Racing driver settled in the 29th place. However, despite a dozen high-octane rides being out of the picture, Deegan finished the HyVee Perks 250 race in 25th place.

The concerning point is that she only outperformed JD Motorsports' Garrett Smithley, while the remaining cars that finished worse than her were already wrecked before the checkered flag dropped. Thus, the Temecula native technically finished second last at the 7/8-mile oval.

Seeing AM Racing's Ford consistently outside the top 30, part-time ARCA and NASCAR crew member Colby Evans took a dig at Deegan for her slow maneuvers on the track. Taking to X, he wrote:

"Is the #15 Deegan trying??? SHR supported car running outside the top 30 the entire race so far."

The fans quickly took note of the #15 Ford's poor run and slammed the AM Racing driver. One fan cited Deegan as an "incredibly mediocre Danica."

"Almost as if hiring an incredibly mediocre Danica knockoff would give you these results," the fan commented.

"The fact that this is so true is sad. Hailie is so much worse than Danica it's not even funny anymore, it just hurts to watch," another fan concurred and added their bit.

"Unfortunately... she just sucks no matter what. I mean... seeing her driving in a SHR supported car in the last place in the points standing is unacceptable. She should've needed more time in ARCA before deciding to move up in the ranks," a fan wrote.

"She sucks. Don't sugarcoat itm," another fan added.

This fan highlighted that Glen Reen started his run from last place, but still passed the 33rd-placed Deegan as the race kicked off.

"She literally got passed by the 53 in the beginning of the race. She just sucks," the fan commented.

One fan took a dig at Hailie Deegan's consistent portrayal of poor performance.

"It's every week, where you been 😂," the comment read.

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Hailie Deegan's rookie Xfinity season is lacking any signs of dominance so far

Hailie Deegan was well-versed in Truck Series racing before stepping into the Xfinity Series scene with AM Racing from 2024 onwards. She competed in 60 truck stints and collected five top-10s in her career.

Before initiating her rookie Xfinity year, the 22-year-old made one start during the 2022 season at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Deegan placed herself in 13th place and earned the best debut feat for a female driver in Xfinity.

However, the AM Racing driver hasn't been able to keep up with her debut run prowess in her full-time stint. From her 15 races so far, Deegan couldn't clinch either a top 10 or a top 5, let alone emerge as the race winner.

Moreover, the #15 Ford succumbed to three DNFs, denting her pursuit of churning a plausible outcome. With that, Deegan is placed 29th in the Xfinity Series standings with 160 points to her name.