Hailie Deegan recently announced her plans to transition to the IndyCar series, specifically the Indy NXT Series, starting in 2025. While the decision surprised many fans who believed she still had promising prospects in NASCAR, and on dirt tracks, NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace supports her move.
Advertisement
In a recent episode of “Coffee with Kenny” on X, Wallace discussed why he thinks IndyCar might be a more suitable environment for Deegan than NASCAR. He observed, “They [IndyCar drivers] can’t run into her like they did in NASCAR. There’s so many jealous men in NASCAR that they could take the vehicle and use it like a weapon and they would just run into her and spin her out… and it happened all the time.”
Wallace also speculated on Deegan’s possible reasoning, suggesting, “They [NASCAR] are not ready for a woman. NASCAR is not ready for a lady racer. So, she goes over to IndyCar. And if you notice, Danica Patrick had success over there. And I believe this is a better opportunity for Hailie and here’s why. Because you cannot take your Indy car and run into another competitor because it will break your own car.”
“Coffee with Kenny”@HailieDeegan will be better in @IndyCar NXT and here is why. pic.twitter.com/B4Zq8Hzidc
— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) October 15, 2024
Deegan will join HMD Motorsports for the stint, where she will drive the #38 car throughout the 14-race season. Since entering the racing scene in 2017, Deegan has made her mark by clinching three victories in the ARCA Menards Series West before stepping up to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series full-time in 2021.
Although she entered the truck series with considerable expectations, her stint resulted in only five top-10 finishes across 69 starts. Deegan first tested the waters in the Xfinity Series on a part-time basis in 2022, then ramped up to full-time competition in 2024, NASCAR’s version of Triple-A. During her tenure with AM Racing, Deegan competed in 17 races until their partnership concluded following the Nashville race.
Deegan discusses her unexpected shift to IndyCar.
Steering the distinct worlds of NASCAR and IndyCar, Deegan recently took to her YouTube channel to address her fans’ curiosity about her career pivot.
In a video featuring a tour of her shop, she explained, “I’m sure a lot of you guys are asking why the big change in my career. Obviously, going from a stock car to an open wheel is completely two polar opposite things in the motorsports world.”
She added, “When I started driving the SRX Series, I got to meet some of the Indycar Legends on that side of the motorsports. It sparked my interest even more in the Open Wheel side of things.”
As Deegan embarks on this new journey in IndyCar, all eyes will be on how she adapts and performs, given her mixed results in her NASCAR tenure.
