The 2024 Xfinity Series is officially the year of the rookies. The five new faces have taken the feeder series by storm. Whether it’s ARCA Champion Jesse Love or 3x Supercars Champion Shane van Gisbergen, these drivers are proving that it is just a matter of time before they pose a threat to veterans of the sport. Another name that has been the talk of the town is the only female driver in the series, Hailie Deegan. 

Coming off the third-tier series of NASCAR, Hailie Deegan highlighted huge promises. However, unlike her other rookie counterparts, Deegan has yet to make an impact in the series. Instead, the driver has been involved in a myriad of incidents, whether it was a mechanical fault or being entwined innocently in another’s wreck. The same can be stated for her run at Phoenix, which ended in disappointment. 

Hailie Deegan spills the beans behind her dismal performance

After two dismal races, the AM Racing rookie was finally seeing lights at the end of the tunnel, after dodging being involved in any major incidents and finishing fifteenth in the race. However, her happiness was short-lived, as her day in Phoenix ended earlier than expected after being involved in two different incidents. The first was a mechanical struggle that eventually brought out a caution that was uncalled for, the other being caught innocently in a big one.

The first incident occurred at Lap 137 when the #15 Ford of AM Racing brushed off the wall at Turn 2. The rookie driver tapped the wall with the right rear after getting loose. However, Deegan was able to gain back control of her car and drive straight on the track, but caution was issued as a result. As caution breeds caution, it was not long before Deegan was involved in the big one of the day, which ended her day with another DNF.

Speaking to Bob Pockrass after leaving the tracks early, Hailie Deegan expressed the complications she faced. She stated, “Struggling with the turn but getting better. We are making progress on it, just a problem with that trying to make it to the end of the race.”

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“Just got caught too high up in the dirt,” Deegan added as her reason for scrubbing off the wall at Lap 137. The final nail in the coffin for Hailie Deegan was at Lap 144, when Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Chandler Smith and John Hunter Nemechek initiated a wreck. Eleven different cars were caught innocently in it, including that of Deegan.

The Big One initiated by JGR drivers cut short the day for eleven drivers

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While these incidents seem to have been the highlight of the race day, what caught the attention of most of the audience was the issuance of a caution after Deegan made contact with the wall.

Although no other cars were involved in the process, nor did Deegan or the wall sustain heavy damage or leave any debris, NASCAR decided to wave the yellow flag. As a result, the racing community was left scratching their heads, pondering whether this decision was warranted or not. 

Even Deegan was taken aback after being apprised of the fact that she was the cause of the yellow to come out.

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With that being said, Hailie Deegan has to surely step up her racing game, given the performance shown by her fellow rookie drivers. While the first few races seemed to be a heartbreak, it will be interesting to see whether she is able to turn the tide in the next race weekend.