Hailie Deegan’s rookie Xfinity season was supposed to be a dream come true, but it ended way early. After just 17 races, she found herself out of her #15 ride, forced to part ways with AM Racing. With an impressive stint in the K&N Pro West Series, Deegan expected similar fortunes to follow her in Xfinity. However, after three unremarkable years in the Truck Series, a jump to the Xfinity Series perhaps wasn’t the best career call on her part. Despite this season’s disappointment, Deegan’s racing career is far from defined. Mid-season setbacks can be devastating for drivers, yet Deegan appears to have regained her footing. And what better way to stay connected to motorsports than through racing itself?

Amidst all the criticism, Deegan has tried to make sure that she does not lose her love for racing. And in that direction, she has shifted her gears and taken to dirt racing. She was seen driving the No. 38 Micro Sprints car at Millbridge Speedway and even posted her return to racing via her Instagram account, as she wrote, “My happy place 🫶 @monsterenergy @odysseybattery.”

The 23-year-old shared the clips of her dirt racing stint online. While the NASCAR fans have been hard on her for not meeting expectations in the Xfinity Series, this time around she had a fair few of them appreciating her getting back on track. Even some fellow drivers and family members were thrilled to see Deegan back behind the wheel of a race car.

Fans and family are delighted to see Hailie Deegan back to being herself

Natalie Decker, being a female race car driver herself, knows how challenging NASCAR racing can be, especially for a woman. Therefore, seeing her fellow race car driver make a resounding comeback after a recent roadblock was indeed a delightful sight for her. Reacting to Deegan’s determination and hunger to be competitive, Decker resorted to the use of 4 emojis to express herself, “🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻.”

While the world was against Hailie Deegan after she was sacked by AM Racing, her father did have his little girl’s back and stood tall against all the negativity coming her way. Hailie’s father, Brian Deegan, just like a race fan, was proud of her daughter’s approach to handling the recent setbacks. Reacting to her Instagram post, he replied, “💪🏻💪🏻.”

While there’s a lot of speculation surrounding the driver’s plans this season, this fan expressed his wish to see Deegan compete in the Mazda MX 5 Cup. “Would love to see you in the Mazda MX-5 race at Martinsville Speedway this fall. I think that you’d do great in that series. Hopefully, you can get something together for that race.”

An ardent dirt racing fan even called out NASCAR racing as overrated and was pleased to see the driver returning to grassroots-level racing. “NASCAR is overrated, the dirt track is where it’s at!! Get it girl 🔥🔥.”

The silly-season drama even made its way to Deegan. The Haas Factory team has two rides, and with Cole Custer expected to move to the Cup Series, there is an opportunity for her to secure her seat for 2025. Danica Patrick has previously raced under the ownership of Gene Haas, so this move might open up opportunities for the former AM Racing driver. Voicing the same sentiment, a fan wrote, “I hear you’re going to haas factory team next year.”

It will be interesting to see which event Hailie Deegan competes in for the rest of the season. And yeah, do not count out a potential NASCAR race return. That could be on the cards if Haas decides to give her a good platform.