JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — There was nothing special about Temecula native Hailie Deegan's sports car debut as she raced around the road course last month at Daytona International Speedway in a feeder series. She was just an 18-year-old Ford factory driver trying to get seat time.
That she's a woman was also not of any particular interest; the big league Rolex 24 at Daytona the very next day included a lineup of only female drivers and sports car racing for years has had women competing in its events.
What was compelling is that Ford has bet heavily enough on Deegan to let her give sports cars a try. She was teamed at Daytona with Chase Briscoe, who has his own strong Ford backing, and the experience was a chance for Deegan to show how quickly she c
