The days of female stock car drivers being either absent or also-rans in major races might be coming to an end.
Hailie Deegan, a 17-year-old rising star in the K&N Pro Series West, earned her second career victory in the series with a last-lap pass in the Star Nursery 100 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Thursday night. She trailed leader Jagger Jones by as much as four seconds with 10 laps to go, forcing her to make a furious charge as Jones contended with lapped traffic.
“In the end, we wouldn’t have caught him if it weren’t for lapped cars,” Deegan told NASCAR.com’s Davey Segal. “And they got in his way. If I was him, I’d be mad. Really mad. But some people’s losses are other people’s wins, and we ended up getting it done.”
Deegan has won two of the last four K&N West races dating to last season in the No. 19 Toyota. Her victory at Idaho last fall made her the first female racer in K&N Pro Series history to take a checkered flag.
For fans who weren’t able to witness the race in person, a replay will air Tuesday, March 5 at 6 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.
