While other drivers are taking some much needed time away from the track after getting through the 2023 season, NASCAR’s Hailie Deegan, who had recently won the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Most Popular Driver of the Year award, instead went down to the Tulsa Shootout to race alongside future spouse Chase Cabre.
Despite showing up and getting on the track, Deegan isn’t getting anyone’s hopes up that she’ll be making this a regular spectacle as she still has her sights set on going from the Truck series to the big leagues at Xfinity.
According to Essentiallysports.com:
“It’s definitely less pressure, and I’m going there to have fun, and enjoy it. I don’t have anything on the line when going there, so it’s more a fun type of racing and a lot less pressure than the NASCAR side of things,” she explained.
Post-race, though, Deegan was visibly spent, a stark contrast to Chase, who seemed familiar with the drill. Reflecting on the experience in one of her YouTube videos, Chase remarked, That stuff will make you want to come back.” But Deegan was quick to counter with a laugh, “Hell no.” (laughs).” She playfully mused about being the one on the couch next year, enjoying some good food in a cozy home. Still, she admitted it was a blast – a fine way to wrap up 2023.
RELATED: Shane Van Gisbergen Expects Robust Schedule In Debut NASCAR Season
Hailie Deegan showed off her Odyssey Battery No. 38 non-winged sprint car to fans on social media prior to the Tulsa Shootout and expained that “off-seasons in racing don’t exist.”
Deegan wasn’t the only NASCAR driver over at the shootout, other familiar faces included Jesse Love, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, and Chase Briscoe.
She is set to make her full-time debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Cup Series when the season opens up on February 17 at Daytona International Speedway.
