Deegan Gains Ground in the Points Standings
| Venue: Tucson Speedway FINISH: 7th Start: 6th AMSW Point Standings Position: 3rd Hailie Deegan moves up to third in the points standings with a seventh-place finish in the ARCA Menards Series West 150 at Tucson Speedway. Deegan opened the ARCA Menards Series West (AMSW) event with the second-fastest time in practice, then backed it up with a sixth-place qualifying effort, immediately placing herself near the front of the field. Once the race settled into extended runs on Tucson’s abrasive surface, Deegan became part of the tightly packed group navigating heavy tire wear. The field frequently ran multiple rows deep and three-wide, with minimal separation as drivers worked to balance conserving tires with maintaining track position. Early in the race, Deegan remained inside the top-10 as the pace fluctuated throughout the field. She briefly slipped outside the top-10 while adjusting to changing balance and the evolving tire falloff, but her pace remained competitive amidst the tire conservation. In the final segment, Deegan’s speed began to show through more clearly. After the caution with 37 laps to go, she steadily regained track position in the closing laps, reentering the top-10 and advancing forward in the final run. She ultimately secured a seventh-place finish for her second top-10 result in the first three events. marking a strong result that reflected improving long-run pace and consistency as she continues to build confidence following time away from stock car racing. Hailie Deegan Quote: “We started out the day good ending up 2nd in practice in my No. 16 Columbia Bank Chevrolet SS. In the race, I knew managing tire wear was going to be important and we decided to fall back to save tire for the end of the race. In the end, I think it was the right move, but we just tried to save our tires a bit too long.” |