Hailie Deegan Asked to Leave Racing Series After Questionable Rookie Season Debut

Hailie Deegan burst onto the racing scene from a family rooted in off-road action, starting with dirt bikes at just seven years old before shifting to asphalt in 2016. She made her mark in 2018 as the first female to win a race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, grabbing three victories over two seasons and earning Rookie of the Year honors in the ARCA Menards Series in 2020 with a third-place points finish. Her background blended gritty dirt experience with stock car prowess, setting high expectations as she climbed NASCAR’s ladder through the Truck and Xfinity Series. But what happens when a driver takes a bold leap into unfamiliar territory?

That leap came in 2025 when Deegan joined INDY NXT with HMD Motorsports, diving into open-wheel racing, a series known for grooming talents toward IndyCar with its demanding mix of ovals and road courses. Driving the No. 38 car, she faced a steep curve, adapting to aero-sensitive machines without power steering, like an 18th-place finish at Road America and Iowa. Yet, flashes of progress, such as an 11th-place finish at Laguna Seca, hinted at potential amid the grind. Yet the criticism isn’t just noise; it’s driven by measurable on-track output. Let’s look at why some voices are calling for a step back.

Fans are calling for Hailie Deegan to step away from racing altogether after a tough 2025 INDY NXT rookie season that wrapped up at Nashville, where her overall performance fell short of expectations in a field averaging 20 cars. Throughout the 14-race schedule, she recorded no wins, no top-five finishes, and no top-10s, managing just four top-15 results while ending 14th in points with 202 tallied.

This came after her mid-2024 exit from NASCAR’s Xfinity Series with AM Racing, prompting the switch to open-wheel as a fresh start, but adaptation proved brutal, with consistent finishes in the mid-to-lower pack, like 14th at St. Petersburg and 17th at Barber. Adding to the pressure, HMD Motorsports announced plans to shrink to four full-time entries in 2026, leaving her seat uncertain.

Deegan herself acknowledged the hurdles in a podcast, saying, “It’s so hard to get comfortable in a new car, especially in race settings. Overall, these cars are just so much different than anything I’ve ever driven before. I’m just trying to get comfortable with racing.” This reflects her struggles with physical demands, noting NASCAR felt like “one of the most unphysical forms of racing” compared to INDY NXT’s toll on road courses, where she iced her hands post-race at Barber.

Substantiating the ‘atrocious’ label, her best qualifying matched a career-high 11th at Laguna Seca, but race-day execution lagged, often due to overtaking issues and early discomfort in testing. As she put it, “I just didn’t feel comfortable pushing as hard as I felt I needed,” highlighting setup tweaks that offered some gains but not enough for consistent contention.

Former NASCAR driver Hailie Deegan ended the 2025 IndyCar NXT season with the following results (average field size: 20 cars):

•14 Races
•0 wins
•0 top-5 finishes
•0 top-10 finishes
•4 top-15 finishes

Should she consider a move back to NASCAR? pic.twitter.com/XN3z9fQbXz

— The Daily Downfords (@DailyDownfords) August 31, 2025

Discussions on X have amplified these sentiments, with threads buzzing about Deegan’s INDY NXT runs and whether her stock car roots clashed with open-wheel demands. Users debated her qualifying highs against race lows, some labeling her “basically last the entire race” at events, transitioning into broader fan takes on her career trajectory.

Fan perspectives on Hailie Deegan’s path

One fan reflected, “Remember when people used to hype her up as the next big thing?” This captures the early buzz around Deegan, who entered NASCAR amid massive attention after her 2018 K&N West win at Meridian Speedway, becoming the first woman to claim a victory there. Media outlets dubbed her a rising star, with her ARCA season yielding 17 top-10s and Rookie of the Year nods. Yet, as her Truck Series stint from 2021 yielded a best of sixth at Talladega in 2022, the hype faded, leading to her 2024 Xfinity struggles and INDY NXT shift, proving the pressure of expectations in a male-dominated field.

Another quipped on the “she’ll replace Kevin Harvick when he retires rumors,” pointing to speculation in 2023 forums where Deegan was floated as a potential successor at Stewart-Haas Racing due to her Ford ties and marketing appeal. Kevin Harvick retired post-2023, but Deegan’s inconsistent Xfinity results, 32nd in points after 17 starts, squashed those talks. Instead, Josh Berry took the seat, while Deegan’s move to INDY NXT aimed to rebuild, though her 2025 results fueled doubts about top-tier readiness.

A sarcastic take emerged, which stated, “The car just doesn’t suit her. Move her up to F1.” This nods to Deegan’s September 2024 Formula Regional Americas test at Circuit of the Americas, where she scored a top-10 in her debut race, sparking open-wheel curiosity. Fans viewed INDY NXT as a bridge, but her adaptation issues, like front wing damage at Laguna Seca, dropping her pace, suggested stock cars fit better. Still, the F1 leap idea highlights optimism about her raw speed.

“If she wants to continue driving, maybe step down to late models and work her way back up. CARS tour might teach her some race craft. If that doesn’t pan out, might be time to consider a different career,” wrote another user. Deegan’s 2017 CARS Tour starts with Bond. Suss Racing offered early asphalt reps, but her rapid NASCAR ascent skipped deeper grassroots honing. Experts like Bob Pockrass echoed this, suggesting select late-model runs to sharpen skills, especially after her 2025 INDY NXT gaps in racecraft on ovals like Iowa, where she finished outside the top 15.

Finally, a comment hit home: “She never should have left dirt. She comes from a dirt family; that’s their bread and butter.” Deegan’s roots trace to father Brian’s motocross fame, with her Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series modified kart title in 2016 showcasing natural talent on loose surfaces. Fans argue her dirt comfort, evident in pre-NASCAR wins, clashed with paved precision, as her INDY NXT physical strains contrasted the family’s off-road legacy, prompting calls for a return to rebuild confidence.