Seeing your nemesis falter can lead to guilty pleasure. Hailie Deegan may be feeling a hint of the same at present, with a recent development in NASCAR. The 23-year-old speedster had to undergo a heartbreaking exit from the sport in 2024. Her Xfinity Series team, AM Racing, washed its hands of her after she failed to notch a top-ten finish through 17 races. However, her replacement did not do better.

Lawless Alan has competed full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the past three years. In mid-2024, he got a seat in Xfinity courtesy of Hailie Deegan’s untimely split. However, not only did he fail to perform well but also found himself in a demoted status recently.

Failing in Hailie Deegan’s absence

Well, the Temecula, California native, is onto something new. Hailie Deegan coped with her untimely departure from NASCAR and then planned out her future as well. In October 2024, she announced her move to Indy NXT, and her intentions to prepare for the prestigious Indianapolis 500 race in 2025. Along with her blooming future plans, something else can help Deegan move on from NASCAR. When AM Racing recruited Lawless Alan to replace Deegan in an Xfinity race in Kansas, the Ford driver wrecked the No. 15 AUTOChargit Ford Mustang and finished a disappointing 35th.

Lawless Alan’s 2024 Truck season was also mostly drab. Besides a lone top-five and top-ten finish at Talladega Superspeedway, the driver accumulated a lot of finishes outside the top 20. Only his 11th-place finish in Texas and a 12th-place finish in Darlington stand out. So after a letdown this year, Alan’s prospects for 2025 took a turn accordingly. Venturini Motorsports recently announced signing him for the ARCA Menards season. The twenty-four-year-old will now pilot VMS’ No.20 AUTOparkit Toyota Camry, beginning with the Daytona season-opener.

Not only did Alan fail to advance into Xfinity, but he also failed to stick around in Trucks. This should be enough to bring a gleeful smile to his AM Racing predecessor, Hailie Deegan‘s face. Before, Lawless Alan has made seven career starts in ARCA’s top series since 2020. However, the driver has faith in his 2025 ambitions. “It feels good to have this type of confidence going into the season. Knowing Venturini has the resources allows me to be more aggressive with my mindset. I fully expect to compete each week for wins. I think once I see my name at the top of the speed charts, I know we’ll be ready for business.”

Yet fans took turns on social media to diss out the future of Hailie Deegan’s replacement.

NASCAR community sees no hope

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Well, scaling down to a lower rung in NASCAR usually does not lead to good results. John Hunter Nemechek is an example – after a string of poor finishes in the Cup Series, he went down to the Craftsman Truck Series after 2020. However, his comeback with Legacy Motor Club has resulted in a pack of DNFs and poor finishes. Similarly, fans predict the same fate for Lawless Alan. “Doubt he’ll be “Parking It” in Victory Lane,” somebody wrote. Another fan felt sorry for the cream racers of ARCA, as they will have Alan and his lack of promise among them. “Guess ARCA is getting a little lawless this year.”

Of course, Hailie Deegan entered the discussion as well. AM Racing kicked her out of Xfinity and roped Alan in – which caused them more harm than good. So one fan commented eagerly that Alan may not regain his spot in Xfinity soon: “I reckon that means he won’t be heading to a second AM Racing car in the Xfinity Series next year.” Some people wondered how AUTOParkit is the sponsor of “95%” of his rides, and another fan uncovered the familial connection. “His dad’s the CEO. They also sponsor Blaine Perkins.” This monetary advantage obviously helps, yet another fan sarcastically sought a different answer. “OMFG! How does he keep failing upwards!?! Edit: I know it’s money, I’m looking for different answers though.”

Evidently, Hailie Deegan’s nemesis is not getting any rest from fans. As the 2025 season rolls around, let us see if Alan can make his mark in ARCA or not.