Hailie Deegan back in Daytona for Rolex weekend, starts 8th Friday in a Ford Mustang
DAYTONA BEACH — In one regard, Hailie Deegan is out of her comfort zone, trading her NASCAR Truck Series ride for a seat in one of Ford’s road-racing Mustangs for Friday’s four-hour race.
But on the other hand, her comfort level is off the charts.
“Honestly, these things are so comfortable to drive,” said Deegan, who partners with fellow Truck Series driver Ben Rhodes in the No. 41 Mustang. Thursday, Deegan qualified the car eighth fastest (113.554 mph) among 32 Grand Sport class entries for Friday’s BMW M Endurance Classic, the season opener for IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge Series.
“They’re one of the easiest cars you can ever drive, easier to drive than a stock car on a road course, because stock cars aren’t built to be on a road course.
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“These cars are built to be on road courses. It changes the game. Everything you want your stock car to do, this car does for you.”
Ford’s other Friday pairing of young NASCAR racers is in the No. 42 Mustang, with Zane Smith and Harrison Burton. Smith qualified that car third Thursday.
In the offseason, Deegan changed Truck Series teams and will return to Daytona in February wearing the colors of ThorSport Racing and drive that team’s No. 13 F-150. In part, she’s using this weekend as a not-so-slow roll into the 2023 season.
“The expectations … just coming here and getting back in the groove of things, running where we’re capable of running,” she said Thursday. “I think everyone agrees, we look at this as stepping back into the year, getting back into the swing of things.
“When you come back here for the Trucks, Xfinity or Cup, whatever it is, it’s so much pressure right there at the start of the year. And Daytona is one of the most out-of-your-hand races. You just hope for the best.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Hailie Deegan back in Daytona for Rolex week; races Friday in Mustang
