This was followed by three years in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and her final year of stock car racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024, which was cut short midway because of sponsorship struggles. In 2025, Hailie Deegan made a brave jump to open-wheel racing, signing with HMD Motorsports for their Indy NXT campaign.
A key difference between NASCAR and IndyCar is the evolution of tire performance, which Deegan is struggling with. Speaking about her tests with the team, the 23-year-old said (via Pit Debrief):
“Like we did a lot of runs on old tires, getting used to it and I struggled a little bit going out on new tires, because like for me, the first lap on new tires in stock cars is your fastest lap usually per second. And so that’s the best lap. That’s the best the car is going to feel.”
She went on to explain how the tires on Indy cars are at their weakest performance when they start a new stint and must be warmed up over a few laps to improve lap times.
“Then you come on these (Indy) tires and, which is so normal for open-wheel racing, they take quite a few laps to come in, and they’re like straight ice when you get on new tires. And so, I had to learn that side of things. I was like, okay guys, like bear with me on new tires because this is all so new for me. I got to see like when they feel good,” she explained.
Hailie Deegan, along with her HMD Motorsports colleague Sophia Floersch, are the only two female racers in the 2025 Indy NXT season.