The journey of female drivers in NASCAR has long been fraught with challenges and controversy, often yielding mixed results. Hailie Deegan, once a beacon of hope, has now abruptly exited the sport, announcing her retirement after just four years. Fans are left wondering if her career turned around faster than her race cars ever could.

Deegan’s NASCAR stint, particularly in the Truck Series from 2021 to 2024, fell short of expectations, with only five top-10 finishes to her name. Her decision to retire has ignited heated debates on X, where some argue she needed more time to prove herself, while others criticized the move. The discussion leaves one question lingering: was this a misstep or simply her next move?

Hailie Deegan’s tale of misery in NASCAR takes her to a new Avenue

Hailie Deegan made her entry into the world of NASCAR when she was only 18 years old. Till now, she has already made her presence in four seasons spread across various domains. While the time frame from 2021 to 2023 was marked with her Truck series run, she was able to contribute to an average finish of only 21. In 2024, Deegan made an entry into the world of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and this was also not very pleasant for the now former-No.15 AM Racing driver. 

Her run with famed team showcased an average starting position of 29th and an average finish of 27th.  Despite finishing on the lead lap four times, her season highlight was a 12th-place finish at Talladega. Given the opportunities she had in hand, her best finish was 20th and she could account for only two top-25 finishes throughout the season. This hasn’t been ideal for her collaboration with AM Racing, particularly after she ended up incurring 3 DNFs. 

But just as the audience was grappling with these deplorable results, Hailie Deegan announced formally that her collaboration with AM Racing had come to an end. Although no reason in particular was mentioned, one can anticipate that poor performance is the major crux of this decision. Taking to her social media, Deegan had cited the real reason as “goals no longer matched”. 

However, soon she announced that she would try her hands at a new form of racing – open-wheel racing. For the 2025 season, she joined hands with HMD Motorsports over a two-year contract as a full-time driver for the team. She will be seen driving the No. 38 car for a season that spans across 14 races. Deegan will be joining celebrity drivers like Josh Pierson, Bryce Aron, Tommy Smith, and Caio Collet on the team. With this bold shift to open-wheel racing, Deegan aims to revitalize her career and prove her potential in a completely new arena.

Fans do not side with Deegan’s decision or her driving skills

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While Hailie Deegan has already made the decision with active steps to start over in a new arena of her career, it seems as though fans are not very happy about it. A fan cited that while she does have potential, she is not that fully prepared at the moment. She has had only four years of experience in the world of stock car racing. The fan comment read, “It might be a controversial opinion but I feel Deegan needed more time. Yes, she had decent equipment but she needed more time in the Xfinity series. She is not a natural talent and grows into racing unlike a few other bigtimers. I feel she still has potential to come back into stockcars and do better than she did in 2024”. 

Hailie Deegan has a flourishing YouTube career and is often seen sharing blogs. Keeping this in mind, one fan pointed out how she has been stagnant and hasn’t upskilled much. It read, “You do understand that if someone is a slow learner but not doing anything extra to learn, it just means they don’t care lol. She failed to put in the extra work to actually be successful with her race craft. It takes allot more than just showing up to the race track. She cared a lot more about her YouTube channel and selling merch.” 

Even her run with ThorSport Racing hasn’t been much to look up to. The same team had helped talents like Ty Majeski flourish and come to the limelight. A fan cited this and said, “I was all onboard with her until she got to Thorsport and I saw how poor she did compared to her teammates, I expected a winning organization like them to elevate her results. And it didn’t”. 

Deegan hasn’t really been a top choice for many company owners till now. A fan pointed out the same and said, “If she was worth hanging on to, she would have easily found another job. All the owners that could’ve/would’ve hired her didn’t, and that speaks volumes”. Another fan commented, “Stayed too long”. As Deegan ventures into open-wheel racing, it remains to be seen whether she can silence the critics and redefine her legacy in motorsports.