"Danica Patrick got thrown into the lion's den": When Hailie Deegan spoke about the trailblazer's NASCAR career

In a 2019 interview, Hailie Deegan commented on Danica Patrick's NASCAR career and expressed her desire to achieve far more. Patrick is considered a trailblazer for women in racecar driving.

She accomplished many firsts and reached many important milestones over the course of her racing career. Her notable achievements include being the first woman driver to win the pole at the Daytona 500, having most finishes inside the top 10 in a season by a woman, and becoming the only woman to win an IndyCar Series race.

Yet for a variety of reasons, her stint in NASCAR is considered a failure.

But Hailie Deegan, who has been seen as the next Danica Patrick since the start of her career, revealed why the driver from Wisconsin started her foray into stock car racing with a disadvantage. Deegan also spoke of her own ambitions and how she wants to achieve far more than Patrick.

"Danica got thrown into the lion's den against guys who grew up racing stock cars. She is the best female driver we’ve had so far, but in the end, there’s so much more a girl can accomplish that she hasn’t done yet. Obviously, I want to be the first girl to not only make it at the top levels but also be successful doing it," Deegan said as per Yahoo.

Her father, Brian Deegan, a legendary figure in the American motorsports landscape in his own right, spoke about the complicated nature of being successful in NASCAR.

“You have to have all the right pieces of the puzzle, and I just feel like maybe there hasn’t been a girl yet who has all the right pieces,” Brian Deegan said.

Hailie Deegan's big break in NASCAR came earlier this season, but it hasn't panned out well

Hailie Deegan made the jump to the NASCAR Truck Series after impressing in the K&N Pro Series West with three wins and then in the ARCA Series with 16 finishes inside the top 10 and five inside the top 5.

But in her first full-time season in the Truck Series in 2021, she could manage just a single top 10. In her second season, she had two finishes inside the top 10, and in her third, she had two more.

Despite that, Hailie Deegan earned herself a full-time Xfinity Series ride for the 2024 season with AM Racing.

"I’m just trying to take advantage of every opportunity that I get and make the best of it and go from there, just constantly be growing and developing and working on my skill sets as a driver, never just settling and being OK with where you're at," Deegan said after her announcement as per Fox.

However, her first full-time season in NASCAR's second-tier hasn't panned out the way she would've wanted. So far this season, she hasn't finished inside the top 10 in the 16 races she has started.

Her best finish came at Talladega (12th), but her finishes as of late have been disappointing and attracted criticism from fans.

In the last four races, Hailie Deegan has finished 33rd, 32nd, 25th, and 32nd. She is currently 28th on the points table.