For the first time since 2014, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will have two women in the same race with Hailie Deegan and Natalie Decker qualifying. Deegan was going to make the United Rentals 300 despite qualifying results, but Decker earned her way in with DGM Racing.
These are two racers who get a ton of criticism, and many times, overblown criticism. Women in motorsports have made great strides in recent years, but there are always going to be haters.
Well, let them hate. Hailie Deegan and Natalie Decker will both start the United Rentals 300. Deegan was P28 on speed while Decker was P30 after David Starr had his time disallowed. It was a solid lap from both drivers and they should have a bit of speed in the draft.
The last Xfinity Series race to feature two women was at Kansas in 2014. Jennifer Jo Cobb finished P24 in that race for Rick Ware Racing. Milka Duno from Venezuela finished P40 in a DNF effort for RAB Racing.
I think that Hailie Deegan and Natalie Decker have a good chance of besting those finishes. The only question is, will we get to race today to will it be a washout until Monday? Sunday already looks shaky, but no one thought qualifying would happen. So, we will have to wait and see.
What better place to make NASCAR history – pardon me, HERstory – than at Daytona?
Natalie Decker proved the haters wrong
In NASCAR, there have been many drivers who have made a career off of being the plucky underdog. DNQs, DNFs – are all part of the sport when you’re scraping to get by. While fan-favorite drivers have gotten breaks here and there despite poor results, Natalie Decker doesn’t get the same grace.
With DGM Racing, Decker felt that she was going to be given one of the better cars she has had. Then she went out and proved it. Decker is in the United Rentals 300 and looks like she has a solid car, at least in single-lap speed.
Anything can happen, it is Daytona. For now, Decker can be assured that she has made the race and she has a spot on the grid for tonight. Or whenever the race happens.
NASCAR just barely got qualifying finished before the rain started to fall again. The Xfinity Series race was moved up to 4:30 PM EST, but that remains to be seen. If the track needs extensive drying again, we could see that time pushed back throughout the night.
More must-reads: