These days, Hailie Deegan is a well-known name on the NASCAR circuit, tearing it up in the Xfinity series thanks to her serious skills behind the wheel. But for those who haven’t been keeping tabs on motorsports for too long, you might not know that her dad, Brian Deegan, was a big deal in the Moto world back in the day. And get this—he still hits the track now and then, racing side by side with his daughter.

However, there was a time when Brian wasn’t sure he’d even make it through, let alone race again, after a nasty crash. It was during this tough period that he turned to faith, looking to change his ways and get back on track. In a heart-to-heart with Kenny Wallace on his show, the Nebraska native shared how pivotal Hailie was in his comeback and finding a new lease on life.

The main motivation behind Brian Deegan’s coming back to life after a near-death experience

Back in 2005, Brian Deegan faced a brush with death that could’ve ended it all during a shoot for MTV’s Viva La Bam. He took a nasty hit from his handlebars to the gut, resulting in a torn artery, a ton of lost blood, and eventually the loss of one of his kidneys. After getting patched up in a Philly hospital and heading back home to Southern California, he was already talking about getting back on his bike for the Summer X Games, maybe to compete or do some commentating.

Fast forward to a recent chat with Kenny Wallace. The iconic Xfinity driver brought up that hair-raising moment when he asked Deegan to spill the beans about the time “after attempting a backflip, you lost a kidney and four pints of blood.” Deegan revisited that scary time. And well, it seems recalling the incident still gives him chills. He shared how it took 45 minutes just to get him into a fire truck and off to the hospital, barely hanging on with hardly a pulse. He recalled a moment with an Indian doctor who asked if he wanted to say anything to his family—a moment when Deegan faced the very real possibility that he might not make it.

At that point, all he could think was, “I don’t want to die, and I was like, I want to live, you know, and I was like, This will be my pivotal changing moment,” calling it his wake-up call to change his life. And through it all, it was thinking about Hailie that gave him the will to fight back and turn things around.”

At that time, thinking about the need to step up as a dad for Hailie Deegan, he shared, “Hailie [Deegan] was born, and then that was a big pivotal moment that I was like, man, I really need to be a dad. I really need to, you know, focus on, you know, that aspect because my mom leaving. I just, you know, really taught me, you know, I really need to be there as a parent,” and that kept him going.

Since then, Brian Deegan has deepened his connection with his faith, often sharing his spiritual journey with his followers on Instagram. In a heartfelt post from 2023, he reminded everyone what the heart of Christmas is all about, saying, “It’s an important time of the year to get the family together for us with all our lives going wide-open. And focus on the reason for Christmas, John 3:16.”

Despite the tough times and the close call to death, none of this shook Brian’s passion for riding. His love for the sport remains unshaken, and he didn’t let the accident keep him off his bike.

Despite having had brutal accidents three times, #15’s father still loves to ride

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After his 2005 crash, one would think Brian Deegan might hang up his helmet for good. But just weeks after leaving the hospital, he found himself itching to get back in the saddle. “All of a sudden, I just wanted to ride again,” he recalls. It might sound crazy, but considering Deegan ditched Omaha for California right after high school to chase his racing dreams, it makes perfect sense. Racing is in his blood.

By 2009, with a race truck from Rockstar in hand, Deegan dove into truck racing and quickly made his mark. “My first full season I won the championship in truck racing. And it just clicked, it was like, ‘Alright, this is what I need to do.’ I just got into a race car and started dominating.”

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Fast forward to 2013, and Deegan admitted he was still dealing with issues from a broken femur, including a limp that hadn’t quite gone away. While he continues to enjoy biking and racing cars, his priority has shifted toward being the best dad, he can be for Hailie Deggan.