Hailie Deegan Reveals the “Big Struggle” of Being a Female Racing Driver as She Talks About the “Very Different” Treatment From Men

During the recent Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hailie Deegan and NASCAR celebrated Women’s History Month by unveiling an all-new blue paint scheme for her #13 truck. The words “Women’s History Month” were etched all over the truck, and she had the names of all women with NASCAR hard cards on her truck.

Against this backdrop, it is interesting to note that recently, the 21-year-old NASCAR Drive for Diversity member decided to reveal the struggles she faces as a female racing driver.

Experiences of sportswomen like Hailie Deegan can help examine gender bias in a male-dominated industry

In a recent episode of the “Unleashed” podcast, Hailie Deegan shared, “There are things that I’m starting to see now where I get treated differently as a girl. Even with crew guys, I feel like sometimes it’s hard to get them to believe in me. And that has been a big struggle.” Deegan’s statement is not surprising, given the history of women in motorsports.

Last year, ABC News spoke to several female NASCAR drivers about the challenges they face in the male-dominated sport. Despite a lot of efforts and some progress in diversifying the field, there are currently no female drivers in NASCAR’s highest tier—the Cup Series.

Toni Breidinger and Natalie Decker, currently competing in the ARCA Menards and Xfinity Series, respectively, highlighted the obstacles of gaining respect and trust as a woman in the sport, especially with limited funding and experience.

Read More: “I Was Not Prepared for This”: Hailie Deegan Bluntly Reveals the Biggest Problem With ThorSport Racing After Moving to Ohio

Amber Balcaen, the first Canadian woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States, described her biggest accomplishment as earning sponsorship with RV product manufacturer ICON Direct. Despite the challenges they face as women in NASCAR, the struggle has not always been fruitless.

What do stories of women in NASCAR from the past tell us?

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Sara Christian made history more than 70 years ago in stock car racing. She made a huge impact in stock car racing as the sole woman in NASCAR’s Strictly Stock’s first season. She finished 14th with her husband Frank as her car owner and crew chief, and Bob Flock as her replacement driver in the 197-lap race in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sara Christian went on to race in 6 out of 8 races in NASCAR’s first season. Her 13th-place finish in the driver points standings and a 5th-place finish at the Heidelberg Raceway are the highest achievements by a female driver in NASCAR’s premier series.

Despite the achievements of trailblazers like Sara Christian, women have confronted considerable obstacles in the sport and are often belittled by the men who don’t “believe” in them. The result is, they have to push themselves to disprove men. Drivers like Danica Patrick, whose fourth-place finish in 2011 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the best result by a woman in NASCAR’s three national touring series, and Hailie Deegan, the NASCAR Diversity Young Racer awardee, are examples of this struggle.

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The experiences of these sportswomen can help the organization examine the unnoticeable gender biases and highlight the need for continued efforts to diversify and create equal opportunities for all.