Hailie Deegan is coming back to NASCAR in 2026! She will take part in the ARCA Racing Series West title this year with Bill McAnally Racing. The team has announced their latest signing of Hailie Deegan via their official social media channels. Deegan’s return to NASCAR came after a rather disappointing campaign last year in the junior IndyCar series.

Deegan was racing for HMD Motorsports in the 2025 Indy NXT season. However, she failed to make her mark with a meager P14 finish in the drivers’ championship. Her best results during the season came at the Laguna Seca Raceway, where she achieved P11. Deegan will be returning to NASCAR after a controversial history that haunted her career for the past few years. She was fired from her last ride in the Xfinity Series with AM Racing.

Hailie Deegan’s second attempt in NASCAR, powered by Monster Energy

Hailie Deegan will pilot the No. 16 Chevrolet this year for Bill McAnally Racing. The primary sponsors for her 2026 season are going to be NAPA and Monster Energy. Columbia Bank will also join in during her 2026 campaign.

Having been ousted from her Xfinity seat suddenly in 2024 left Deegan with a lot of regrets. It was quite visible when she addressed the public about her aspirations for the 2026 season with BMR.

“I’ve been away from stock cars for a bit but am focused on coming back stronger and competing for wins and a championship. Having Columbia Bank and Monster Energy on board and working with NAPA Auto Care again is going to be a thrill, and our goal is to get them to victory lane multiple times this year.”

Deegan has proven herself numerous times in the lower NASCAR series. She was able to claim three wins in the ARCA West Series from 2018 to 2019. In 2020, she ran a full season in the series, finishing third in the driver standings, even though she stayed winless throughout the season.

She was unable to carry forward her success in the national divisions of NASCAR. Deegan participated in 69 races during her full-time Truck Series career, but she was only able to bring in 5 Top-10 finishes. The final nail in the coffin was her last season in NASCAR–the failed 2024 Xfinity Series campaign at AM Racing. Ultimately, it led to her getting replaced in favor of Joey Logano.

Owing to her less-than-satisfactory performance, team president Wade Moore said, “It is our goal at AM Racing to field a competitive race team through our technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and provide any of our drivers the best equipment and opportunity to be successful on track each weekend. With that being said, we haven’t had the success on track that we were hoping for in the first half of the season.”

Although her confidence took a big hit due to the 2025 Indy NXT failures, she is still fired up to write her story on a fresh note. Deegan wants to start it where she was able to prove her worth years ago–in the ARCA West Racing Series.

Talking about their latest signing, McAnally adds.

“Having Hailie back on our team is incredibly special. We enjoyed working together several years ago and won some races. I see the commitment she has for competing at this level and we want to be part of her success. She has the knowledge of winning out West, and we have a great chance to chase our 12th title with her and Mason Massey in the fold.”

While Deegan makes a fresh attempt in 2026, ARCA Menards has earned the backing of its long-standing partner.

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ARCA Menards Series and General Tire extend partnership in 2026

Continuing their decade-old partnership, ARCA Menards and General Tire have signed a new deal for the 2026 season. As a part of this new deal, General Tire will also be entitled to four races during the 2026 campaign.

The races are:

• General Tire 200, Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, February 14, 2026
• General Tire 150, Phoenix Raceway, Thursday, March 5, 2026
• General Tire 100 at the Glen, Watkins Glen International, Friday, May 8, 2026
• General Tire 150, Sonoma Raceway, Friday, June 26, 2026

ARCA president, Ron Drager, was more than delighted that the sport has found itself a strong sponsor. “General Tire has been a great partner, activating with broadcast support, race team awards and race event entitlement and promotion across the entire ARCA Menards Series platform for the past decade,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “These 2026 race entitlements are further evidence of General Tire’s continued commitment of support.”

Hailie Deegan’s return to NASCAR with Bill McAnally Racing is a sensational move that has put her in the spotlight again. She has the record of claiming the best finish by a woman in the Xfinity Series. Will Deegan be able to revive her failed NASCAR career in 2026?