Turning over a new leaf with soaring hopes might be the trick. Hailie Deegan is adding a fresh new chapter to her racing career, and her fans are all for it. Her NASCAR journey was far from perfect – her best finishes were both 6th place, in Talladega in 2022 and then in Texas in 2023. Then Deegan’s foray into Xfinity was a disaster, and her team discharged her mid-season. However, the racer is brushing off her past with a confident mindset.

Now, Indy NXT has welcomed her with open arms. Hailie Deegan is on a learning curve, taking her notebook seriously in this journey. She debunked doubts surrounding her poor test run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, deeming it part of the learning. And her fanbase is rooting for her.

Hailie Deegan’s head is held high

Earlier this month, the decorated ARCA Menards racer announced her plans to shift from stock car racing. Hailie Deegan was done with NASCAR and announced plans to wheel the No. 38 for HMD Motorsports in Indy NXT next year. But her first public run did not yield good results. Deegan would post the slowest start of 22 drivers participating in the Chris Griffis Memorial test session. Her top speed of 111.280 mph was three mph slower than Tommy Smith’s 114.434, the 21st fastest on the list. Despite that disappointing introduction, Deegan is confident about her new venture.

She posted a video from her first day racing an Indy NXT car and exuded much passion. Hailie Deegan wrote: “Fun first day in the @indynxt car! Really enjoying the process of learning a totally different type of motorsports 🙌 @monsterenergy” Hailie Deegan turned 67 laps around the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis track with a top time of 1 minute, 18.9038 seconds. However, the time sheet is not important for the motorsports athlete. Deegan had no open-wheel driving experience – she had to wrestle a car with no power steering and an open cockpit with a halo for driver protection.

Hailie Deegan considers her first steps in IndyCar to be a learning path. “I want to progress. I want to learn…want to learn the dynamics of these cars.” HMD brought nine drivers to the Griffis test, bringing Deegan plenty of data and sounding boards. “There’s a lot of teammates, a lot of quality drivers, a lot of data that I’ve never had access to the past six years of my life,” she said. “There’s definitely a lot that you can utilize if you’re willing to put in the work. So, watching a bunch of footage, taking a bunch of notes, going through all the data.”

And the racer’s fans are supporting her as Deegan tackles this new challenge.

Gearheads ooze support for Deegan

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A cloud of anticipation hung over the racing community for months since July. Hailie Deegan’s Xfinity career ground to a halt back then as her team, AM Racing, dishonorably discharged her due to poor results. Deegan recently talked about her bad experiences with the team. However, now her IndyCar venture has fans crossing their fingers. “I really hope it goes well for her. I truly believe she got taken for her money and not giving the guidance any driver would of needed.”

Even Xfinity veteran Kenny Wallace admitted to rampant partiality in NASCAR circles. So one fan quipped that was not her home after all: “This is the race you should have always been doing… 👏🔥❤️👏” Somebody else gave her more power against doubters. “So proud of you! Never give up. ❤️”

Some notable entities also wished Hailie Deegan the heights of success. Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s official Instagram handle encouraged her for her upcoming run in next year’s Indy 500 race. “Can’t wait to see you hit the track again in May!” Then Indy NXT dropped a confidence booster text for its new member: “🙌🙌🙌” Demi Bagby, a renowned bodybuilder and social media influencer, also dabbles in racing. She is excited for Deegan, sharing how their wardrobe choices are similar. “Ayyy we have matching suits I loveee that one.”

Racing fans rally in support of Hailie Deegan in her next chapter. Hopefully, the Indy NXT inductee will dazzle her naysayers soon enough.