By Deb Williams | Oct 28, 2018
Special to espnW.com
Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
With her sixth-place finish in California on Saturday night, Hailie Deegan wrapped up rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR K&N West Series.
Hailie Deegan became the first woman to win rookie of the year honors in any NASCAR series with her sixth-place finish in the K&N West Series season finale Saturday night.
Deegan had won the pole for the season-ending race at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, California. What’s next for the California teenager hasn’t been finalized yet, but her 2019 plans might be solidified by the end of this year.
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Hailie Deegan was rookie of the race in Roseville, California, in mid-October, when she finished seventh. In 14 races, she had five top-5 finishes and 12 top-10 finishes.
“I’m not old enough to race full-time [NASCAR] trucks or full-time ARCA,” said the 17-year-old Deegan. Drivers must be 18 to run full time on either circuit. “My dream would be fulltime K&N West and then maybe partial ARCA. We’re just starting talks about stuff, so there’s not much set at all.”
Deegan wrote her name in NASCAR’s record books this year driving a Toyota for Bill McAnally Racing. In September, she became the first woman to win a NASCAR K&N West race. The daughter of legendary X Games motocross rider Brian Deegan earned the victory in her 18th start on the K&N circuit, which has an East and West series. She raced full-time in the West and part-time in the East this season. Prior to Deegan’s victory at Meridian (Idaho) Speedway, neither series had seen a female winner.
In addition to her victory and two poles in 14 K&N West races, Deegan recorded five top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. She led 40 laps and completed 96.8 percent of the 2,047 laps that comprised the 2018 season. She failed to finish only two races.
“For my career and for me in general, this has been the best year of my life. We accomplished so much,” Deegan said. “Personally, I think we did everything we needed to do. I had a plan in my head of things I needed to do to try and keep the ball rolling. If we hadn’t accomplished these goals, I think it would have kinda been a setback.”
At the beginning of the season, Deegan said she felt there were those who looked at her as just another girl coming into the series.
“I see where they’re coming from because there have been quite a few girls, but I think that we proved to people we can run up front,” Deegan said. “We won a race. I think people are now like, ‘We see what she’s doing.’ It’s not so much, ‘Oh, she still has to prove herself.’ “
Deegan noted her goals changed throughout the season. Initially, her objective was to run in the top five. Then she wanted to lead a race and win an event.
“I think we surpassed them [goals],” said Deegan, who won a pole on a dirt track and one on pavement.
Her successful season didn’t come easily. Deegan said she’s putting in the work but lacks experience.
“I have put a lot of work into my racing; day-in and day-out, on and off the track,” she said. “One of my weaknesses is a lack of experience [in a stock car]. I have advanced my mentality [this year] to where I am going to train as hard as I can so I can be successful. I think a lot of people take it for granted and say, ‘Oh, I’ll work hard on the weekends [I’m] racing.’ No, it’s an everyday thing.
“Everyone out here is a good driver and you just have to find something that’s going to make you a little bit different and make you that much better.”
Deb Williams has covered auto racing for United Press International, USA Today and The Charlotte Observer. She was the 1990 and 1996 NMPA Writer of the Year.
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