After longtime NASCAR Ford driver and Ford Performance partner Hailie Deegan was cut loose from her Xfinity Series team back in July, her future in motorsports wasn’t clear. Now, though, she’s nailed down her plans for 2025, and NASCAR isn’t a part of it – she’ll turn toward open-wheel racing and take on the Indy NXT series.
Indy NXT is the developmental series for IndyCar, North America’s premier open-wheel division. There, she’ll drive the No. 38 entry fulltime in 2025, competing in all 14 races in the NXT series. Deegan’s race car will be fielded by HMD Motorsports, and will race alongside four teammates, including Caio Collet, Josh Pierson, Tommy Smith, and Bryce Aron.
“I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to working with a proven program in HMD Motorsports,” Deegan said in a statement. “I have much to learn, but I am ready to go. The team brings a wealth of knowledge for me to pull from, and I look forward to soaking up as much of that as possible before my race debut next March in St. Petersburg.”
Deegan has not yet competed in any open-wheel division in her motorsports career. She has extensive dirt racing experience and also raced a NASCAR Ford in ARCA, Truck, and Xfinity Series. Most recently, she drove the No. 15 NASCAR Ford Mustang Dark Horse for AM Racing before she was dropped from the organization midway through the 2024 racing season.
She will first take part in the Chris Griffis test on October 18th, which will be her first time behind the wheel of an open-wheel race car.
“Hailie, and especially the Deegan name, are huge in motorsports, and we welcome them to the HMD Motorsports family,” said HMD Team President Mike Maurini. “Hailie has already been out to the shop and is taking the move to open-wheel racing seriously. She is looking for a place in the Indianapolis area to be immersed with the team and is already working with her engineer. We want to make sure she and all the other HMD Motorsports drivers are as ready as possible for every on-track session.”
No Comments yet