NASCAR will require Hailie Deegan to undergo sensitivity training before the 2021 season, it announced Jan. 11.
The news comes after Deegan was shown to have used a derogatory term referencing those with intellectual disabilities on a Twitch stream over the weekend.
Deegan apologized for using the term on Jan. 10 in a tweet.
“Earlier tonight I used an insensitive word during an online race being broadcast on Twitch,” she wrote. “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 is set to compete in her rookie season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2021 after making her debut in a race last year. She’ll drive for David Gilliland Racing.
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.