Rising NASCAR star Hailie Deegan was in the news this week, but not because she won a race.
In fact, it was because she missed a race.
Deegan, 20, skipped last week’s Freedom 500 in Bradenton, Florida, after her boyfriend, Chase Cabre, received death threats from an online stalker who believed they were in a relationship with Deegan.
Instead, Deegan said during a 15-minute YouTube video, the alleged person was being catfished by a fake Hailie Deegan social media account.
Here are five things to know about Deegan.
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She was a member of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity class
Deegan was a NASCAR Drive for Diversity member in 2016, and received the NASCAR Diversity Young Racer award the following year. She was in New Smyrna Beach in 2016 for the annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity combine.
In 2017, she was one of nine drivers named to the NASCAR Next class. She was the youngest member and the only female in the class.
Deegan named NASCAR Truck Series Most Popular Driver
A Truck Series rookie last season, Deegan won the Most Popular Driver award. She drove the No. 1 David Gilliland Racing Ford in her freshman season and scored a career-best finish of seventh at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in August.
Deegan, Daytona, and Donald Trump
Two years ago at the Daytona 500, Deegan got her then-ARCA helmet signed by President Trump, who was in town for the 500 and served as the Grand Marshal.
Deegan made history in 2018
Deegan’s rise to stardom hit the fast-track four years ago, when she became the first woman to win a NASCAR K&N West Series race during a September race at Meridian (Idaho) Speedway.
She has three career K&N Series wins.
She’s been through NASCAR sensitivity training
In January 2021, NASCAR announced that Deegan would have to go through mandated sensitivity training after she used a derogatory term for the disabled during a virtual racing event that was streamed online.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR star Hailie Deegan misses race because of crazed fan. 5 things to know