“There’s not a lot of other families out there that have multiple kids that are successful in racing.” Brian Deegan, the most decorated motocross rider in X Games history, said these words recently. And he is right – his daughter Hailie Deegan (23) already has a versatile stock car racing resume and is currently in IndyCar. While his son, Haiden (19), is rising rapidly in Supercross.

Pursuing a motorsports career involves a fair share of track work and camera work. Besides honing their racing prowess, NASCAR drivers frequently do interviews to increase their media presence. The same applies to drivers from other disciplines. So teaching them the tricks of the camera from an early age made a lot of sense. But even the Deegans with a massive social media following know where to draw the line – as Hailie revealed recently.

Hailie Deegan stresses putting limits on the spotlight

Motocross legend Brian Deegan started a YouTube channel in 2009. Although he initially talked about his heyday in action sports, injuries, and the rebel racing group ‘Metal Militia’, Deegan soon dedicated the channel to his family’s activities. Deegan taught his children that the camera is their bread and butter. “I try to always teach that social media is a business … and you’re trying to build brand awareness for your sponsors.” 

As children, Hailie Deegan and her brother Haiden battled over who was more popular on social media. “When I was younger my sister and I always competed on who could get the most followers, page views, and likes,” said Haiden. Presently, the female racer boasts 2 million followers on Instagram, while her brother Haiden has 1.7 million.

But even while taming social media challenges as their own, the Deegans have drawn a line when it comes to enrolling in a reality show. According to Brian Deegan, it is a deal-breaker for the family due to a lack of creative control. Many reality shows have control over the final edit, and the Deegans are not okay with that level of encroachment.

Hailie Deegan also provided similar views to this sentiment. After accruing five top-tens across four years of NASCAR national series seasons, the racer is embarking on an IndyCar career. And Deegan has a long way to go – she finished in 14th place after a disaster-laden St. Petersburg race. So the racer stressed that she is not ready to devote so much time to a reality show that she can otherwise use in practice in an interview with PEOPLE. “The moment we’d say we’d do a pilot and test something out, I couldn’t do it. I could not have that much time to be taken away from what we’re trying to accomplish. And it changes up your whole days. It changes up everything you have going on.”

However, Brian Deegan did note that if there was a possibility of controlling the final cut, there might be less hesitation involved. “If there was ever a show that came along, it was a perfect setting and everything worked out and we had final control of the look of it and everything, then who knows? Maybe,” said the 50-year-old.

While the Deegans step around the possibility of a reality show, they delve into everything involving the racetrack. So all three racing stars of the family showed up in Indianapolis for a special session.

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A unique cross-over of sports

What can be better than mixing up two Deegan personalities’ fans? While Hailie Deegan is setting off on her IndyCar career, her brother Haiden is leaving a mark in SuperMotocross. He is already a two-time SMX 250 class champion and finished second in Supercross’s East Coast 250 class last year to KTM’s Tom Vialle. Before he could embark on a better season, SMX and IndyNXT collaborated to bring the two siblings together. Last weekend, Hailie and Haiden ran their IndyNXT car and SX Yamaha 25o side by side on the famed Brickyard.

The two series met at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the older Deegan siblings and their parents, Brian Deegan and his wife Marissa. The younger brother, Hudson, already sporting 400,000 followers, was absent. This unique family gathering must have offered a motivational boost to Haiden Deegan, as the first Supercross East-West Showdown will soon kick off at Indianapolis.

The same applies to Hailie Deegan. Her start at St. Petersburg was plagued with problems – from dodging chaotic wrecks to dealing with a lack of power steering. So, ahead of her next start at Barber Motorsports Park on May 4, Deegan knows what she needs to work on. “I think the biggest thing for me is definitely the physical side. Getting stronger. I feel like I’m trying to get stronger in a hurry. Because, in the past, NASCAR is not a super physical form of racing. So, I’ve never really had to work on certain things like my physical strength. I’ve been working on that side of things.”

Evidently, the young Deegans are sharply focused on their racing careers. Even if that means turning down reality show offers, Hailie Deegan and her brother Haiden are eager to notch up race wins.