In what was a thrilling race finish towards the very front of the field in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 during the closing stints, Hailie Deegan finished 10th and made even more history at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
The 20-year-old California-native methodically worked her way up from her original starting position of 28th. Restarts throughout Saturday’s race heading down to the keyhole, otherwise known as turn 2, got quite hectic throughout the day with as Deegan made numerous three wide maneuvers.
Throughout the 67 lap contest around the 13-turn permanent road course, Deegan gained 10 positions to 18th in the first 17 circuits. At the conclusion of Stage 1, she had gained three more spots to finish 15th and hovered just outside the top 10 before the final caution on Saturday.
Prior to Mid-Ohio, it had been a trying year for Deegan in her second full-time NASCAR Truck Series season. The young racer has faced a lot of obstacles on track, as she has recorded five DNFs recorded through the first 15 races of 2022. Prior to this weekend, she did not have a result higher than 15th.
Where Deegan earned her season-best finish, prior to Saturday, was the same site where she reached her first career top 10 finish a season ago — WWT Raceway at Gateway. That night she finished higher than any female that has ever competed in a NCWTS race on a non-superspeedway racetrack.
This time around, the David Gilliland Racing driver became the first female competitor to record multiple top-10 finishes in the 27-year history of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
With her top-10 result today at @Mid_Ohio, the second of her NASCAR Truck Series career, @HailieDeegan becomes the first woman in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history to score multiple top-10 finishes.#NASCAR | #SrigleyStats Served by @DoorDash pic.twitter.com/dLDHT7RCOH
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) July 9, 2022
Deegan is adding historic numbers to her resume, but the accolades didn’t end there for Deegan. Her 10th-place finish at Mid-Ohio marks the first time that a female driver has placed inside the top-10 in a NASCAR National Series (Cup, Xfinity, Truck) event on a road course since Shawna Robinson achieved the feat in the NASCAR Xfinity Series back in 1994 — 28 years ago.
While Deegan hopes to carry this momentum into next week’s race, the No. 17 DGR Ford F-150 team are not in a position to point their way into the post-season as they currently sit 22nd in the point standings and are 183 points behind 10th place — the cutline — in the Playoffs standings. Deegan will need to win at Pocono Raceway, the next race on the 2022 schedule, and the site of the regular season finale.
