“Hailie Deegan is one hell of a dirt driver”: Tony Stewart heaps praise on the young ThorSport Racing driver

Tony Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup winner, defeated Hailie Deegan after two late restarts to take home his first SRX Series victory of 2023.

On Thursday at Rosburg, Ohio, Stewart, owner of Eldora Speedway and the Superstar Racing Experience, absolutely destroyed the competition, winning both of the heat races as well as the 75-lap race.

In the last few laps of the race, the 52-year-old battled Hailie Deegan, a regular in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, who drove her backup truck to an astonishing second-place finish. Deegan had been Stewart's only real rival the entire time.

After the race, Tony Stewart praised Deegan for the fight she showed towards the end of the race and was full of appreciation for the ThorSport driver.

"That's a one thing people don't realised is that Hailie Deegan is a one hell of a dirt driver," he said during the post-race interview with Kyle Dalton. "She's the second there, she gonna put the pressure on. So, had to, tried to get some clean laps on the restart, reel em' again and get going."

It was a special race for the young Hailie Deegan too. She battled with the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion during the back-to-back restarts and didn't back down.

For the ARCA champion-turned-Truck-Series regular, it was two top-five results in a row, which will give her tremendous confidence moving forward.

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"He is too consistent" - SRX Runner up Hailie Deegan on Tony Stewart's win in Eldora

Hailie Deegan had to drive her back-up truck after sustaining intense damage during a ninth-lap multiple truck crash. But that didn't prevent her from keeping Tony Stewart on his toes.

Deegan managed to keep the NASCAR Champion in her sights while also being able to stay ahead of Ryan Newman the entire race. She later admitted that she knew she wasn't going to catch Stewart and praised him for his consistency.

"I honestly think we were racing for second there. I think that was the best we were gonna get. He (Tony Stewart) is just too good here. He is too consistent. And overall, I thought we were fast but I don’t think we were as consistent as him," Deegan said. (Via Matt Weaver)

Stewart, who had been without a victory for a very long time, was happy to see Deegan on the podium. He had a comfortable lead, but had to be careful not to make a mistake since he was aware of Deegan's ability on the dirt.