“I've had a bad relationship with Daytona”: Hailie Deegan reflects on her underwhelming full-time debut race in Xfinity Series

AM Racing driver Hailie Deegan speaks up after her debut Xfinity Series stint at the Daytona International Speedway suffers a premature exit.

With eight laps to go until stage 1 concluded, Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez lost control of his ride after being nudged from behind. Not only did Suarez spin out, he took Sam Mayer, Kyle Weatherman, and debutant Hailie Deegan with him, shattering their hopes as well.

During a post-race interview, the 22-year-old opened up about her "bad relationship with Daytona" and expressed her dilemma on how to conquer the Daytona International Speedway. Journalist Toby Christie shared Deegan's response to her underwhelming outing on his X (formerly Twitter) account:

"@HailieDeegan: “I’ve had a bad relationship with @Daytona ever since my first Truck race here. It’s been hard for me. I’ve never been able to conquer or at least figure out what the right way is. Do you hang back, should you go, where is the danger zone?”

Hailie Deegan dives into the intricate details of the unfortunate wreck

Per Suarez's onboard camera, it was evident that Hailie Deegan slammed his car from behind when the chaotic wreck occurred. The collision severely damaged her #15 Ford Mustang, to the extent that the car's hood was almost vertical, blocking her track view.

Deegan was left with no choice but to call it a day and retire the car. Following her dismal exit from the race, she was questioned about her "frustrating" outing at the Daytona by motorsports journalist Noah Lewis. To answer his query, she delved into the wreck's details.

Lewis posted her response on his X (formerly Twitter) account. Hailie Deegan said:

"I saw two of the guys wrecking in front of me, a little bit before entry of 1 [Sam Mayer]...I was hanging behind a little bit, the guy behind me was like 2-3 car lengths off me and then when I checked up, I got hit just a little bit on entry as I was going down into 1."

Deegan added:

"I thought I was going to be able to miss it, got hit a little bit, got shoved into it. Honestly, superspeedway racing, it sucks because the guys were really hard in this car."