Things have seen a downward spiral for the No. 15 car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Hailie Deegan, the star woman driver of the sport, is witnessing a career slump. Her 2024 rookie season in Xfinity has been a dampener so far, with fans pouring cold water on her future.

NASCAR insiders like Brett Griffin passed a dismal verdict on Deegan’s prospects. Now her team has also joined the team of naysayers, as the driver is not being regular at the Xfinity garage. Now, a Cup veteran is set to take her seat, and fans are not so concerned.

Alarm bells ringing for Hailie Deegan

When Hailie Deegan jumped from her Craftsman Truck Series program to Xfinity, many raised their eyebrows. She spent only two seasons in Truck, and people opined she could have had more time to hone her talents. Her best performance was in ARCA, finishing third in the point standings as the 2020 ARCA Menards Series Rookie of the Year. Deegan boasts three victories in her name in the ARCA Menards Series West.

However, her NASCAR National Series fortunes are plummeting. This year, Hailie Deegan is struggling with an average finish of 26.8 and just four results of 20th or better through 17 races. Her best finish was a 12th place in Talladega. Hence, AM Racing, her Xfinity team, took a tough call for the upcoming Chicago Street Race.

Joey Logano, the most recent Cup Series winner at Nashville, would take the wheels of the No. 15 Ford. AM Racing President said what would be painful for Hailie Deegan’s ears: “We haven’t had the success on track that we were hoping for in the first half of the season.” He added why Logano’s presence is important: “When the opportunity to have Joey in the car at Chicago became a possibility, we felt we needed to take advantage of the knowledge and feedback that a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion could provide to our teams’ growth.”

Currently ranking 27th in driver points, Hailie Deegan is in the rear of the Xfinity field of active drivers. Missing out on the Chicago Street Race would effectively make her ineligible for the playoffs. Bob Pockrass updated this situation via a tweet, stating that no waiver will be granted to Deegan. 

However, the NASCAR community took a gnarly posture toward the Xfinity rookie. Fans weighed her measly playoff hopes in a brighter scenario.

NASCAR fans downplay Deegan’s Xfinity hopes

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Long gone are the brilliant days of the ARCA Menards Series. Now Hailie Deegan is feeling the full impact of the NASCAR bandwagon. She is failing to keep up with her faster stock racing rivals, and the NASCAR community is none too kind to her for it. 

When Pockrass highlighted her playoff ineligibility in case she misses Chicago, fans ridiculed the situation. One fan resorted to factual statistics that theoretically negate any sliver of hope for the rookie. “She has finished 4/17 races on the lead lap and people are worried about her and the playoffs?” Another fan simply stated the absurdity of Pockrass’ update: “She wasn’t going to make it anyways.”

Others were a little more brutal with the driver. Somebody harshly downplayed Hailie Deegan’s driving prowess: “She wouldn’t win if it was 2 cars on the track. Ain’t a snowballs chance in Texas she would make the playoffs.” Another fan chimed in a similar tone: “A racing miracle would have to happen for hailie to even get a top 5. I don’t think this was a major concern tbh.”

But some were kinder, considering her stellar achievements in ARCA. One fan took a divided approach: “Been a supporter of her. But she sucks. Period. Shouldn’t have gone to Xfinity cuz she didn’t do anything in truck.”

Evidently, Hailie Deegan’s faltering progress is barely scraping the NASCAR fans’ support. The No. 15 Xfinity rookie genuinely needs to revamp her racing strategy if she hopes to survive in the sport.