NASCAR's Hailie Deegan Apologizes for Using Slur During Virtual Race

Hailie Deegan, a 19-year-old NASCAR driver, issued an apology on Sunday night for her comments during a virtual race on Twitch. Deegan was streaming on Twitch for the first time and was talking on her microphone during the race. She then used the R-word when talking about a driver who was behind her (the video can be found here).

"Earlier tonight I used an insensitive word during an online race being broadcast on twitch," Deegan wrote on Twitter. "It was inappropriate slang and a stupid thing to do. I apologize to everyone who was offended by it. There's no excuse for it, and I know I have to do better for my sponsors and my fans."

Deegan signed with Ford to part of its driver developmental program ahead of the 2020 season. Ford issued a statement, saying: "We are aware of this inappropriate comment. Hailie immediately acknowledged this mistake, has apologized and promised to be much more thoughtful in the future."

Deegan is a rising star in NASCAR despite making only one Truck Series start, according to Yahoo Sports. She competed in NASCAR's ARCA Series in 2020 and finished third in the points standings after finishing in the top five in four races. She is the daughter of motocross legend Brian Deegan, who has won multiple medals at the X Games from 2009-2012.

"I'm used to about eight to 10, maybe 12, good cars in the ARCA Series, and you go out there, and there are 25 good trucks," Deegan told Racer last month when talking about competing in the Truck Series. "It was a lot. It was a lot to take in very quick, especially not having any pit stops throughout this year; I've never done a pit stop, and I had to do that, and I had to do a green-flag pit stop where I ran out of fuel on the backstretch and rolled it in."

When the 2020 ARCA Series season was all said and done, Deegan was named Rookie of the Year. She will compete full-time in the Truck Series this season. "I think (next) year is definitely going to be a learning curve," she said. "It's going (to be learning) the basics and not getting over our heads with goals and everything. First top 15, OK, after that, run top 10 and then top five."