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Hailie Deegan makes history as first female K&N pole winner

NASCAR K&N West Series race - Douglas County Speedway

ROSEBURG, OR - JUNE 30: Hailie Deegan climbs out of her car in the pits before the Clint Newell Toyota 150 presented by NAPA Auto Parts for the NASCAR K&N West Series at the Douglas County Speedway on June 30, 2018 in Roseburg, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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History was made Thursday night in the shadow of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

With a speed of 84.392 mph, Hailie Deegan made became the first female driver to win a pole in the K&N Series. She will lead the Star Nursery 100 field to green Thursday night at the half-mile Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The K&N Pro Series West race will be shown tape delayed at 2:30 p.m. ET Sept. 21 on NBCSN.

“I’m so amped,” the 17-year-old Deegan said on Twitter. “The dirt track, I was hoping it would be my niche and it so happened to be. I’m so pumped; I can’t really put it into words right now. I’ve had some bad luck the last couple of races and I feel like I’m getting out of that. Everything is falling into place.”

Deegan later went on to win her heat race. She finished second in the feature event. Sheldon Creed won.

Deegan’s previous best start in the K&N Series was a third at Sonoma Raceway. She finished seventh in that race.

In her first year of competition, Deegan has scored eight top 10s in 10 races leading up to tonight’s race. Two disappointing results in the 20s came in the last three weeks, however.

Before Thursday, the best starting spot for a female in K&N Pro Series history was held by Dominique Van Wieringen. She started second in three K&N Pro Series East races in 2016.

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