NASCAR: Hailie Deegan moving up to Xfinity Series in 2024
Deegan has five top-10 finishes in 67 career Truck Series starts
Hailie Deegan is moving from the Truck Series to the Xfinity Series.
AM Racing announced Thursday that Deegan, 22, would drive in NASCAR’s No. 2 series for the team in 2024. Deegan has spent the last three seasons in the Truck Series.
“I am excited about the opportunity to compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, starting next year with AM Racing,” Deegan said in a statement. “From the start, the team has been nothing but great to work with, and the vision that Wade has for the team to accomplish align with my values perfectly.
“Through the support of Ford and the AM Racing team, I feel that we will achieve great things together in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and I can’t wait to see what the next few years have in store for all of us.”
The daughter of motocross rider Brian Deegan, Hailie became the first woman to win a race in what’s now known as the ARCA West Series. After three victories over two seasons in ARCA West, she moved up to the Truck Series and it’s not unfair to say that her Truck Series career has been underwhelming so far. Deegan has just five top-10 finishes in 67 career starts and is currently 19th in the Truck Series points standings with two races to go in the 2023 season.
Deegan’s best career NASCAR finishes are a pair of sixths. She finished sixth at Talladega in 2022 and was sixth at Texas earlier this season. Deegan finished 13th in her lone Xfinity Series start in 2022 while driving a car that was prepared by Stewart-Haas Racing. For her Truck Series career, Deegan has an average finish of 21st and has finished on the lead lap in just over half her races.
Her best Truck Series points finish came in 2021 when she was 17th in the standings as a rookie. After a 21st-place finish in 2022, she moved from David Gilliland Racing (the team now known as Tricon) to ThorSport Racing, one of the best Truck Series teams in the garage.
Deegan’s performance at ThorSport has not matched that of her teammates. ThorSport’s other three drivers qualified for the 10-driver playoff field and two — Ben Rhodes and Ty Majeski — are still alive in the playoffs before the final race of the third round at Homestead.
Deegan will be driving relatively lesser equipment at AM Racing in 2024 unless the team makes a big step forward. Brett Moffitt is 15th in the Xfinity Series points standings as his No. 25 car is 17th in the owner points standings.
