“Constantly Having To Watch Your Back” – Taking a Note From Tony Stewart, Hallie Deegan Confesses Trust Issues With NASCAR

NASCAR veteran Tony Stewart‘s Superstar Racing Experience Series is that arena where seasoned racers and budding speedsters race together in a friendly and cooperative milieu. There is no pressure of points or qualifying for the playoffs. All you think about while racing in SRX is your talent and how you can put it to use. The recent SRX Series race at the Eldora Speedway has given one such young and talented driver her shot to seize the limelight.

Hailie Deegan fought her way in the latter half of the main event after holding off Ryan Newman and Ken Schrader, tagging Tony Stewart. She gave Stewart solid competition but ultimately failed to secure the win as the latter made good use of the last two late restarts. Tony won the race, but Deegan won the hearts of millions of fans, including veteran NASCAR stalwart Kurt Busch.

Hailie Deegan reveals the trust issues going on in the alleys of NASCAR

The Truck Series full-time for ThorSport Racing appeared on The Kenny Conversation and revealed a very fundamental difference between West Coast Racing and East Coast Racing, which is predominantly NASCAR. Kenny Wallace asked the 22-year-old what she thought was different between these two.

Hailie said that these two worlds differed mainly in the way that people get along. Back in California, there were people contending in a race and after the race was over, they would hang out together or maybe go out to dinner. The NASCAR dirt car specialist said, “It’s something I really like about stock car racing. Everyone knows everybody and everybody’s super friendly.”

However, in NASCAR, things are not as smooth. Not everyone is your friend at work. You come, you race, you win, and go home. Hailie felt like everyone in NASCAR was very uptight. Indeed, when 40 cars run at top speed to book that one cherished ride down the victory lane, chances of going easy for anyone are incredibly low.

“You are constantly having to watch your back so someone doesn’t stab it,” she said, “and I wasn’t used to that stuff at all!”

Kenny Wallace agreed and said, “Tony Stewart said the same thing.”

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All things considered, Hailie Deegan put on a great show as she gave the “Smoke” a tough time securing that win. The 2012 Daytona 500 winner came out of his dirt car and revealed what he thought about the second-place finisher.

Tony Stewart had a hard time beating Hailie Deegan

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As the 52-year-old man took off his helmet, fans could see the fatigue on his face. He wiped off his sweaty face, brushed his hair with his fingers, and admitted, “That’s the one thing people don’t realize. Haile Deegan is one hell of a dirt driver so, she gets the second there she’s gonna put pressure on.”

“Just had to try to get some clean laps on restarts and get in the rhythm again and get going,” he added. Pushing Stewart to the extent where he would say something like that is an achievement in itself.

What did the wonder girl say about all of this? She admitted having lost confidence lately, but she also stated that she had never stopped working hard. She has been getting her speed back slowly but steadily. And when she stood on the podium at Eldora Speedway, wearing the silver medal, it all seemed to have paid off.

But did the commendable result come at no cost? Certainly, it must have taken a lot for someone as young as her to hold off all the other expert drivers throughout all the stages of the race.

She explained that as there was no footrest in her dirt car; she had to keep her left foot hanging the whole time and by the time she was giving the interview, she could not feel it anymore.

She laughed and exclaimed, “I heard ‘5 laps to go’ and those 5 laps felt like the longest 5 laps of my life!”

Read More: “These Aren’t Slouches” – Hailie Deegan Enthralled by Tony Stewart and 2 Other Iconic Veterans; Reflects on Her NASCAR Career