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Hailie Deegan Confident About Xfinity Debut as She Eyes Her First Victory in the Craftsman Truck Series

Published 08/04/2023, 6:04 PM EDT

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Hailie Deegan’s journey in NASCAR has been a mix of ups and downs. Despite displaying glimpses of potential, she has also encountered challenges along the way. At the age of 22, she had aspirations to transition to the Xfinity Series and eventually make her mark in the prestigious Cup Series. Unfortunately, this dream is currently out of reach for her, primarily due to financial constraints.

Entering the Cup or Xfinity series is no simple task. Acquiring a charter for the team’s car is essential, and the value of a charter can be upward of $30 million in Cup Series. The financial demands to compete at this level are substantial, making it a hurdle too high for many. However, Truck Series‘ Most Popular Driver for 2021 and 2022 has something to offer which might overcome this hurdle.

Hailie Deegan talks about her unwavering quest for victory amidst crisis

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Hailie Deegan currently finds herself in 19th place and has secured just one top-10 finish this season. In contrast, her teammates Ty Majeski and Matt Crafton lead the charge for Ford in Richmond, finishing 2nd and 7th, respectively. However, witnessing relatively remarkable speeds at Richmond, Deegan finds renewed hope of winning a race this year.

During a recent episode of the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast, Deegan expressed her belief that securing a win in the Truck Series could significantly impact her journey in racing. She sees a victory as a potential stepping stone that may enable her to enter the Xfinity series by not only winning the purse prize but also attracting new sponsors.

In her response to Spider’s question about how a win could affect her career, Deegan said, “I think if I was able to win in Truck Series, I wouldn’t have to worry about financial side in Xfinity I think it would definitely come with it. I think that there had been probably more sponsors knocking down the door and things like that, but obviously I gotta do that, I gotta prove myself.

“I have had a struggle for the past couple of years in the truck series and I feel like we have had moments this year we’ve hit our stride gotten a couple of wrecks it starts back at Square one and going to back up like this last race at Richmond, we were so fast and a truck was so good”

Referring to the impressive performance of ThorSport Racing at Richmond, she highlights the importance of strong runs on the track .“But having a win would definitely make my career a lot easier and probably a lot less stressful on the financial side for me.”

Deegan is not the first driver in recent times who has spoken up about the financial aspect of racing in Xfinity or Cup Series. Recently, talking about his former Truck Series driver John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Busch revealed how much money Nemechek would have to spend to get a seat in a Cup car.

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“It’s a money game”: Kyle Busch breaks down the dark reality of the sport

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John Hunter Nemechek has proven his worth time and again, yet he has been afforded limited opportunities to run in the Cup series. The sport has undergone various changes, with drivers adopting a more aggressive racing style, as pointed out by Kyle Busch in earlier statements.

According to a recent interview with Forbes, Kyle Busch was asked about the requirements for a driver from Kyle Busch Motorsports to make the move to the Cup series. The RCR driver replied, “This isn’t to be mean or rude or a bad word, But he needs six million bucks and he’ll be in a [Joe Gibbs Racing] Cup car next year. That’s all he needs.”

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“It’s not a success game anymore, it’s a money game,” he later added. “So if he can find the cash, then there will be a seat for him I’m pretty sure,” Busch concluded.

READ MORE: Despite Her Infamous Reputation, Hailie Deegan Insists “I Enjoy Clean Racing”

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Written by:

Moinakhtar Akhunji

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Moinakhtar Akhunji is a NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. With a love for racing spanning almost a decade, he brings his passion and expertise to every article he writes. Growing up as an automobile enthusiast, he quickly developed a deep appreciation for the technical and competitive aspects of both F1 and NASCAR.
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Edited by:

Nischal Kandpal