Hailie Deegan exited AM Racing with time remaining on her NASCAR contract
Hailie Deegan signed with AM Racing for the 2024 season. The deal was announced as a multi-year driver agreement.
However, ahead of Chicago, AM Racing placed Joey Logano in the the No. 15 car for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. And after the race, both parties announced they had gone separate directions.
Hailie Deegan departs NASCAR team
The now 23-year-old is the daughter of Motorsports legend Brian Deegan.
Back in 2019, Deegan was in the Toyota Racing Development pipeline while driving for Bill McAnally Racing in the ARCA Menards Series. She picked up three wins for the team between 2018 and 2019 seasons.
In 2020, Deegan made the switch to Ford as she picked up a 1-race deal with DGR-Crosley, finishing 16th in her NASCAR Truck Series debut at Kansas Speedway. Between 2021 and 2023, Deegan ran full time in the Truck Series, between David Gilliland Racing and ThorSport Racing.
Following the 2023 seasonDeegan found a full-time ride in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with AM Racing.
Now, she’s a free agent.
Kevin Harvick says, “no future for NASCAR electric”
Kevin Harvick says it will be hard for Hailie Deegan to get another chance in NASCAR
“I don’t think that guidance and mentorship has been exactly what she needed for NASCAR,” Kevin Harvick stated via the Happy Hour podcast.
“The big mistake here was getting out of the Toyota development system. I think Ford has the worst development program as far as their drivers go. Toyota has the best. Chevy’s somewhere in the middle.”
“Getting out of that Toyota development program, with all the resources, and they’re willing to give time. And I think that she needed more time in the Truck Series. Getting that guidance and mentorship in order to develop into what she needed to be a NASCAR racecar driver.”
“She carries this fan base off the race track, it’s a big fan base. She just got pushed through too fast and wound up in the wrong development system for her to be successful.”
Harvick added, “It’s going to be tough to get another chance. That’s going to be the hard part.”
Harvick retired from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition following the 2023 season. He retired as a Ford driver.
Losing drivers in the Toyota Racing Development pipeline is ‘what keeps them up at night’
