Hailie Deegan announces she's parting ways with AM Racing in NASCAR Xfinity Series
Hailie Deegan of the NASCAR Xfinity Series has confirmed she’s parting ways with AM Racing via a statement released on Monday morning.
The question was originally raised when it was revealed Joey Logano was taking over the AM Racing ride in the Xfinity Series for the Chicago Street Race. Theories arose regarding Deegan’s future with the team, and it’s evident that she’ll be looking for a new team to call home moving forward.
“Beginning this season, I had a lot of excitement and hope in taking my next step in the NASCAR Xfinity Series,” Deegan said, via her statement on social media. “It’s something I’ve been working towards for years and always dreamt about. I worked hard to prepare for this season after the team pursued me to drive their car. Unfortunately, it has not turned out the way that I expected. There are always several reasons within a race team as to why things do or do not work, but sadly our goals no longer align. With that being said, myself and AM Racing will be parting ways.”
“The only thing I am focused on is getting back to being competitive. That is ALL that matters to me. I’m working as quick as possible to find the best opportunities to get back to the track. I’m thankful for the following that I have and everyone who supports me, It’s truly only me that knows the whole story and what I need to succeed. See you at the track, soon.”
Moreover, Deegan, 22, had a rough go during her first full-time season in the Xfinity Series, after joining AM Racing with a ton of hype behind her name. She had failed to record a top-10 finish through 17 races and sat 27th in the points standings. Deegan also finished P20 or worse in eight consecutive starts.
Prior to her statement, Deegan did not publicly comment on Logano replacing her for Chicago, though she has removed AM Racing from her X bio. Logano, meanwhile, said AM Racing approached him about the seat.
“They called me last week and said ‘Hey, we got the seat here for the 15 that seems like it’s going to open up and do you want to drive it?’” Logano said. “I thought well, I think so. Let me clear with my boss Roger [Penske] and make sure that’s okay and there’s no sponsor conflicts. Once I had all that cleared, it just seemed to make sense on really both ends. That’s what a good deal is when it works on both sides of the deal.
“When you think about AM Racing, they were looking to have an experienced driver in there and get kind of get an idea of where their program’s at and see if I can help them from that perspective. I was looking at it and saying ‘Man, I can get more laps on the Chicago Street Course, can’t be anything bad with that either.’ I felt like that was worth it to me.”
What does the future hold for Hailie Deegan, and who will takeover her seat at AM Racing for the remainder of 2024? Those are all questions yet to be answered, but a clearer picture has been painted on Monday.