“I Feel So Out of Place”: Hailie Deegan Confesses True Feelings on IndyCar Debut in 4 Words

That is what Hailie Deegan blurted out after wheeling her first IndyCar vehicle last week.

Hailing from a fender-banging stock car racing background, the motorsports icon had to transition to the delicate precision of single-seaters.

This world involves a completely different driving style with high cornering speeds, precise breaking, and an aversion to physical contact.

was naturally a little apprehensive. On her first outing at an Indy NXT Series test last October, Hailie Deegan posted a speed 3 mph slower than the second-last driver.

That is why she apprehended her first qualifying.

Well, the female racer has a ton of experience on her resume. In 2019-19, Hailie Deegan won three races during her time in NASCAR’s K&N West Division – becoming the first woman to do so. She finished third in the 2020 ARCA Menards season.

Her NASCAR career featured two top-five finishes across three full-time Truck seasons.

Yet Deegan’s Xfinity season in 2024 may have axed her confidence quite a bit.

She could not clinch a single top-ten finish across 17 starts and accrued three DNFs.

Then her Indy NXT test yielded a slow speed of 111.280 mph.

So Hailie Deegan started feeling jittery ahead of her first IndyCar qualifying session.

Before the Indy NXT season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, the 23-year-old quipped.