The last few years in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series have been a bit tumultuous for Hailie Deegan.
Since going full time on the national circuit in 2021, the daughter of action sports star Brian Deegan has failed to crack the top five in her 66 starts. The California native has earned five top-10 finishes in her Truck Series career, with one highlight being her sixth-place finish at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last year.
Her average finish this season is 21st.
However, the disappointing statistics haven’t changed her outlook much, as Deegan has continued to look to the Xfinity Series as her next step. On Thursday, she solidified the deal, announcing a multi-year contract with AM Racing to drive its No. 15 Ford Mustang full time, starting next season.
“I didn’t know if it was actually going to happen because opportunities like these are kind of once-in-a-lifetime or once-in-a-career opportunities when it comes to NASCAR racing,” Deegan said. “It’s an eye-opening moment.”
But the 22-year-old intends to make the most of it, and also believes it’s the right time to further her progression up the NASCAR ladder.
“After talking to a lot of drivers who have been in the same position as me, going to Trucks and Xfinity versus ARCA and all that, I think there has been a lot of drivers saying the Xfinity car will be a lot easier than the Truck and it relates more to how ARCA was,” Deegan explained. “I think it should be pretty good because of that.”
Deegan won three races while competing in the ARCA Menards Series West, earning 13 top-five finishes and 23 top 10s in 28 starts. After finishing 13th in her lone Xfinity Series start one year ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the two-time Most Popular Driver has set high expectations for herself.
“I think my goal is to obviously make the playoffs in my first year, so everyone is on board with that and we’re going to try to get really good finishes as we go,” Deegan said.
Learning the dynamics of the car, adjusting to the driving style and being prepared to take on new race tracks are top priorities in year one with AM Racing.
But team president Wade Moore is aware there is a lot of work that needs to be done for the pair to be competitive.
“In this sport, anytime you’re talking about growth, there are going to be growing pains that come with that,” Moore said. “Quite frankly, at AM, while we are a very young program, she’s also young as well in her career where it provides an opportunity for us to grow together.”
The Statesville, N.C., team launched its first Xfinity Series campaign this year with driver Brett Moffitt. They will expand to two full-time entries when Deegan joins next season.
“We’re definitely going to be here for a few years,” Deegan concluded.