Hailie Deegan staying patient even as she craves more NASCAR success

Like so many other things about her burgeoning stardom, Hailie Deegan appears to have the proper perspective on her NASCAR timetable.

In a society where there’s an obsession with identifying and celebrating what’s “next,” NASCAR is certainly no exception. The sport heavily promoted its young drivers this season, and it’s almost possible to feel the gears turning to push Hailie Deegan as the Next Big Thing, particularly after her breakthrough K&N Pro Series victory.

She’s already in good with Toyota Racing Development, and Kyle Busch owns a Truck Series team that has been a breeding ground for future stars for some time. It’s easy to imagine her moving up and seeing if she can win races at that level, and if she can, the sky is indeed the limit.

There’s just one problem.

“I think that next year, if I had my dream possibility and unlimited funding, which everyone knows is hard to get, I’d like to race the full K&N West and East series, and maybe some ARCA racing, because I’m not old enough to race full-time ARCA or Trucks,” Deegan said to FanSided from SEMA Show, where she was on hand with sponsor Mobil 1 to show off a pretty cool personalized Toyota Tacoma.

Deegan won’t turn 18 until midway through the 2019 NASCAR season, so a move up to Trucks or ARCA is out. It’s not easy to pump the breaks on an ascent like the one she’s on, particularly when she sees other racers climbing the ranks.

Yet Deegan shows off some “wise beyond her years” big picture thinking when it comes to her career, knowing that more time behind the wheel at lower levels can pay off down the road.

“I watch some of my friends who are a little bit older than me go race Trucks, go race ARCA, and I’m like, ‘Oh man, I want to do that,'” Deegan said. “But in the end, it’s more to my advantage, because it gives me more time. I’ve only really been in a stock car full-time for one year. So this has only been my first season. I think the more time, the more experience I get under my belt, the better we’re going to be in the future. ”

A K&N win was atop her list of goals for 2018, but she already has another one in mind for next year, one that won’t involve a new series but will definitely test her and her team.

“We’re coming back to the K&N Series,” Deegan said. “I’d like to go for a championship. That’s kind of like my final goal.”