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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 24: Hailie Deegan, driver of the #1 Craftsman Ford, waves to fans on stage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 presented by Westgate Resorts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 24, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 24: Hailie Deegan, driver of the #1 Craftsman Ford, waves to fans on stage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 presented by Westgate Resorts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 24, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Hailie Deegan is only 20 years of age. And already she is entering record books and rewriting history at such a young age, at such a beginner stage in her career.
Just consider the two milestones she achieved after her finish inside the Top 10 at Mid-Ohio recently.
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The David Gilliland Racing driver finished inside the Top 10 when the checkered flag dropped, and by doing so, she became the first female driver since Shawna Robinson at Watkins Glen in 1994 to have done so, finish inside the Top 10 at a road course.
What a drive! @HailieDeegan jumps 18 total spots and earns a Top-10 at @Mid_Ohio. 👏 pic.twitter.com/hxCgHtdVZr
— David Gilliland Racing (@dgr_racing) July 9, 2022
Moreover, she became the first female driver in Camping World Truck Series history to have finished inside the Top 10 on two different tracks.
And then there’s the fact that this was her first Top 10 of the season. So, a good day for Deegan.
For Hailie Deegan, the Xfinity Series dream is looking bleak
On many occasions in the past, Hailie Deegan has expressed her desire to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. And it’s only natural. Not only is it a step-up for the young driver from the Trucks, but it’s also something that will bring her one step closer to the Cup Series.
However, recently, she revealed some rather bad news about her Xfinity hopes.
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DAYTONA, FL – JANUARY 03: Hailie Deegan, driver of the #22 Multimatic Motorsports Inc. Ford Mustang GT4, looks on during a practice session on January 3, 2020 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The thing is, Deegan is finding it difficult to secure funding and/or sponsorships to make it all happen. “It’s tough trying to get funding midway through the season or trying to figure things out for a potential end of the year deal for, at least me, in these situations,” she said.
She described how they’re working on it and doing everything they can, but there’s still nothing that’s “in stone at all” at the moment.
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“It’s all just kind of seeing what we could possibly do in the future. I wish I had an answer because I want answers myself, but nothing yet,” she added.
