NASCAR's Hailie Deegan Shockingly Uses R-Word During Virtual Race, Later Apologizes (VIDEO + TWEET)

NASCAR’s Hailie Deegan Shockingly Uses R-Word During Virtual Race, Later Apologizes (VIDEO + TWEET)

January 12, 2021, 11:29am EST (Updated: February 4, 2023, 11:57am)By Darrelle Lincoln

Hailie Deegan apologized to “everyone who was offended by it” for saying the R-word during a Sunday night Twitch stream.

The NASCAR driver was broadcasting a virtual race that she was participating in and used the slur to ask about a driver who was behind her.

https://twitter.com/WeLoveAdamGase/status/1348456311730688006

Earlier tonight I used an insensitive word during an online race being broadcast on twitch. 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.
— Hailie Deegan (@HailieDeegan) January 11, 2021

The 19-year-old is the daughter of motocross legend Brian Deegan and is already one of the more popular drivers in NASCAR despite making just one Truck Series start. She raced in NASCAR’s ARCA Series in 2020 and finished third in the points standings with four top-five finishes in 20 races.

Her use of that slur comes less than a year after Cup Series star Kyle Larson used the N-word in a virtual race in April 2020. That got him fired from Chip Ganassi Racing.