Hailie Deegan was supposed to be special. Jack Irving, who has scouted hundreds of drivers, thought so too. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said, and many NASCAR fans had similar thoughts. Deegan was just 18 when her rise to fame began. She had multiple wins in NASCAR’s lower levels and growing social media presence.

Some of her career highlights are:
1. The first woman to win a race in what is now the ARCA Menards West Series in 2018.
2. She tied the record for the best result in the ARCA Menards Series race in 2020 after finishing second in 2020.
3. Earned the best debut by a female driver: Truck Series (2020) and Xfinity Series (2022).

No wonder, Irving said, “In all the years I’ve done it, with some drivers who have been ridiculously good, I’ve never seen the impact [Deegan’s] had.” So most recently, going into her rookie Xfinity campaign, people had high expectations from the 22-year-old. She signed with AM Racing Xfinity Series and together, they hoped to achieve greatness. But some things just aren’t meant to be.

AM Racing was quick to replace Hailie Deegan after failures…

When AM Racing signed Hailie Deegan to drive their No. 15 Ford for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the team was confident. She started out fearlessly in the K&N West Series, winning a handful of races, and also won three ARCA races. Deegan wielded her ride to a respectable 13th-place finish at her 2022 Xfinity debut in Las Vegas. This offered speculation that she may be well-suited for the Xfinity Series, and AM Racing decided to invest in her.

However, halfway through the year, she stood 28th in points- last among active full-time drivers. Therefore, AM Racing slowly inched away from her and fans could sense this. The team sidelined Hailie Deegan and opted for Joey Logano to race in Chicago, bringing in a season-best 8th-place finish. Finally, Deegan and AM Racing parted ways.

The team statement read a particularly cold declaration of separation. “We are grateful for Hailie’s contributions and dedication as the driver of the No. 15 Ford Mustang during her time with the race team. We wish Hailie the best in her future endeavors and look forward to her continued success on and off the track.”

This dismal state of affairs has several causes, as NASCAR expert Eric Estepp explained in his recent video. Hailie Deegan’s best finish was a meager 12th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. Deegan even sat behind active drivers like Aric Almirola, Ryan Truex, and Matt DiBenedetto, who all have at least five fewer starts in the season. With eight straight finishes of 20th or worse and a crew chief change, Deegan was indeed in a slump.

A quick comparison also does not rank in her favor. The same crew chief worked with Brett Moffitt last year, and yet they managed to secure nine top tens and a nearly ten-position better average finish. On the other hand, Hailie Deegan has been in quality NASCAR equipment for nearly four years now and yet fared no better – she led only two laps across her three years’ seat time in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Hence, Hailie Deegan’s performance speaks for her collapse. But was her upbringing also a factor in her failure to warm up to NASCAR?

Why is Hailie Deegan different from her peers?

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The Californian is the daughter of action sports icon Brian Deegan and entered the field quite early. Hailie Deegan hopped on a dirt bike as a child and honed her skill in that motorsport. She started dirt racing as a teenager. However, stock car racing was largely unfamiliar to her until her late teens.

Deegan did not enter into a Legends car, a Late Stock Model, until 15 or 16 years of age. This is fairly late as compared to her young prodigy peers.

Although she is only 22 years old, such a massive fall from NASCAR’s grace could spell huge consequences for her. She would have to start an uphill climb up the ladder again, which is pretty late for her age. Yet her decorated off-road racing career still holds hope for the faltering driver. For instance, she was the only female driver in the Lucas Oil Off Road Pro series, as well as the regional series, to win championships in 2013, 2015, and 2016.

Additionally, let us not forget that Hailie Deegan was also the only woman to have won races in the K&N Pro Series (ARCA Menards Series) to date. Hence, if Hailie Deegan can strike that winning mindset again, maybe a sliver of hope still exists. But given her racing luck over the past few years, that scenario would need a good amount of time and effort.

In fact, it is surprising that there was a time when people thought the young star would eventually reach the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Yes, as reported by Sports Business Journal in 2019, a survey of more than two dozen executives across NASCAR revealed that they thought Deegan could reach the Cup series and win. Why was this a big deal? Because no female driver has even won it.

What do you think about Deegan? Let us know in the comments below.