Hailie Deegan details decision to leave NASCAR, join IndyCar NXT

Hailie Deegan had a decision to make after she and AM Racing parted ways just 17 races into their Xfinity Series tenure together.

Deegan’s first crack at the Xfinity Series had not gone to plan, with zero top 10 finishes to her name. Rather than wait out another opportunity to open up in NASCAR, Deegan began kicking the tires on her next move away from stock car racing. She immediately began exploring the idea of making the move to open-wheel racing, attending the IndyCar race at Iowa. Fast forward to last Monday, and Deegan announced she would be competing in IndyCar NXT, the IndyCar development series, with HMD Motorsports in 2025.

Speaking with Dirty Mo Media this week, the 23-year-old further explained her decision to join IndyCar NXT.

.@HailieDeegan opens up about her mindset as she gears up for her move from stock car racing to IndyNXT. 🏎️ pic.twitter.com/NcAKyCPWqg

— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) October 23, 2024

Hailie Deegan dives into decision to leave NASCAR

“About two weeks after I stopped on the Xfinity side, I was really — like I didn’t really linger very much,” Deegan said. “Like I was like, ‘OK, what’s next?’ What are we working towards next? Let’s make our goals. What are we looking like budget wise and what are we looking sponsor budget wise? How are we looking for different options? Just kind of seeing and weighing out the pros and cons of everything. And that’s when I was like, ‘You know what, I feel like I’m decent friends with a few guys in the IndyCar scene and people I used to race in IndyCar.’

“I kind of was just poking around, talking a little bit. A few people that like I grew up go-karting with and like just kind of asking questions and seeing it out. I was like, ‘Let’s go to the IndyCar race at Iowa. Let’s go check it out. Why not.’ Just kind of to see what it’s all about and when we started weighing out me as a driver, like my pros and cons [and] my best qualities in my driving are.

“Like, I like high grip stuff. I like places, tracks here are wide open a lot. I love road courses. Besides this past year, some of my best runs have been on road courses and best overall. Best qualifying and all that. The IMSA stuff on top of that, I did good on that side. So, I was like, ‘Man, maybe we should really look at this avenue.'”

Hailie Deegan gets a fresh start in IndyCar NXT

Deegan showed promise as an up-and-comer in the Toyota driver development program, making her ARCA Menards Series debut in 2018. She flipped to Ford ahead of the 2020 season, finishing third in the points standings that season. Three years of mixed results in the Truck Series followed her standout 2020 campaign and led her to the Xfinity Series in 2024, piloting the No. 15 car for AM Racing.

AM Racing replaced her with Joey Logano for the Chicago Street Race, and then parted ways with her the following week.

She now gets a fresh start in IndyCar NXT, which many of IndyCar’s best have come through.