What was the insensitive word Hailie Deegan used?

Prominent NASCAR figure and rising star driver Hailie Deegan is one of the most popular faces in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as well as the sport as a whole. The daughter of motocross rider and off-road racer Brian Deegan, Hailie has been surrounded by racing since a young age.

The 21-year-old has made a name for herself in a sport dominated primarily by men through her aggressive driving style and no-holds-barred attitude. The Temecula, California native is the eldest of three siblings in the Deegan family, which could be the reason behind her tough and responsible persona.

Deegan started as a Toyota development driver before making the switch to Ford's development program in 2019. She also drove in the ARCA Series in the same year, before being announced as a full-time Truck Series driver for the #1 David Gilliland Racing entry.

The latest Truck race at Indianapolis Raceway Park saw Hailie Deegan finish in P13 at TSport 200.

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What was the insensitive word Hailie Deegan used and then apologized for last year?

Hailie Deegan was seen racing online at an iRacing event in 2021 when several people on her Twitch stream witnessed the 21-year-old call a fellow racer a 'retard'. The r-word was aimed at the person driving behind her who incidentally bumped into Deegan during the stream.

With the sport's no-tolerance policy against slurs of such nature, the Temecula, California native immediately took to Twitter to post an apology and was instructed by the governing body to undertake sensitivity training. She wrote:

“Earlier tonight I used an insensitive word during an online race being broadcast on twitch. It was inappropriate slang and a stupid thing to do. I apologize to everyone who was offended by it. There’s no excuse for it, and I know I have to do better for my sponsors and my fans.”

See the tweet below:

A similar incident took place in 2020 as well when Kyle Larson faced grave consequences after using a racial slur in a similar online environment. Larson was suspended from Chip Ganassi Racing as a result and had to sit half of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season out, which cast a dark shadow over his future in the sport.

With the constant attention of young audiences on drivers these days, it is very important for such influential figures to maintain a neutral stance on controversial subjects.