Hailie Deegan's duel with fire and smoke at Atlanta Motor Speedway

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series offers thrilling racing action to its fans. It was on fire for Hailie Deegan in the number one Ford F-150 race truck at Atlanta Motor Speedway last weekend.

Hailie Deegan started the race in 27th place and climbed to the 17th position before being hit from behind on lap eight by another truck.

At the conclusion of the high-speed straight heading into the turn, the impact nearly causes her to lose control. Her truck fishtailed into the truck she was passing as she missed hitting the wall, damaging her left rear tire and requiring her to pit under the green flag.

After she came out of the infield care center, Deegan stated:

“8 laps in, I came from 27th to 19-19th. We were coming through the field pretty good. Then, the No. 91, I don’t even know who he is. But he plowed into me on the backstretch and hit me really hard. I almost lost it, I saved it but it made me shoot into Ross Chastian on the inside on me and gave me a left rear flat.”

The crew promptly changed her tires, and she rejoined the race in last place. However, she quickly reported to her crew chief over the radio that something was wrong with the truck. She initially believed it was another flat, but team spotters around the track believed the tires were in fine condition.

When her vehicle started to heat up and she smelled smoke, she believed her pickup was on fire. On Twitter, NASCAR on FOX updated the incident.

Deegan was visibly distressed and looked to be having problems breathing. One crew member lifted her in his arms and carried her out of the still-smoking truck to a safer location with Atlanta Motor Speedway EMS personnel waiting for her.

On her Twitter account, she explained what happened.

Deegan was assessed at the on-site infield care facility before being returned to the race truck carrier, where she appeared more dissatisfied than shaken by the fire.

Hailie Deegan disappointed at Atlanta Motor Speedway 2022 season

The Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday didn't go exactly as Hailie Deegan and David Gilliland Racing had intended. The squad was in desperate need of a decent run after finishing 17th and 33rd at Daytona 500 and Las Vegas, respectively.

Hailie Deegan, the most popular driver in the series, finished 36th. She retired after 24 laps due to a second tire failure that caused a far worse catastrophe for the second-year driver, one that entailed a lot of fire.

Despite the terrible outcome, Hailie Deegan was able to walk away from the incident unharmed, allowing her to compete in the series' next event on March 26 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

However, as the series prepares for its first road course race of 2022, the No. 1 team must be concerned. They currently rank 34th in NCWTS owner points for 2022 and are at risk of missing the series' next event if something goes wrong in Friday's single-truck qualifying session.