Not so long ago, Hailie Deegan was considered the next big thing in NASCAR. Many looked at her as the next Danica Patrick, and many thought she would make waves in the sport, that in no time, she would graduate from the Trucks, to Xfinity, and then eventually to the Cup. However, things haven’t turned out that way for Deegan.
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In fact, she has only managed to take part in one Xfinity Series race, which was last year in Las Vegas. Since then, there have been some echoes of her making the step up, but considering her poor form this year, that seems highly unlikely.
But along with that, there’s one more reason, and a big one, why Deegan just isn’t able to put together an Xfinity Series opportunity for herself – money.
Hailie Deegan reveals the bitter truth of racing in NASCAR
During a recent interview with Rubbin’ is Racing, Deegan was asked about when can one could expect her to move up to Xfinity Series, to which she replied, “I mean, I would hope soon.” Deegan then described the big financial obstacle that stands in the way of drivers when they consider making a step up in the NASCAR divisions.
“It’s all financial side, and like, I would love to go to Xfinity, absolutely love to. I’d love to run there full-time next year. But it’s just the financial side of it and you go from these truck racing budgets of having to raise enough money sponsorship for that, and then you go to Xfinity which is about double, and if not more if you want to run,” she described.
“If you want to run for a good Truck team, and this is probably around a vicinity, it’s about $2 million a year to go and run for an A-level Truck team. And to run for an A-level Xfinity team, you’re looking at a $4-5 million a year. And that’s just the cold, hard truth of it.”
“That’s the truth, and no one wants to say it.”
While she’s ready to run full time in the Xfinity Series right now, @HailieDeegan touches on how sponsorships and financials are the major keys to jumping between the two series.
New episode of Rubbin’ is Racing out now: https://t.co/XLNCZVwe6Z pic.twitter.com/AWzUfWrsRz
— Rubbin is Racing (@rubbinisracing) August 3, 2023
Kyle Busch also pointed to the money factor in NASCAR earlier this year
In an interview, 2x Cup champion Kyle Busch, while he was talking about John Hunter Nemechek’s chances of running in the Cup Series, revealed the amount of money it takes for a driver to run at the top level.
“He needs six million bucks and he’ll be in a (Joe Gibbs Racing) Cup car next year. That’s all he needs,” Busch said as per Forbes. “It’s not a success game anymore…it’s a money game.”
“So if he can find the cash, then there will be a seat for him, I’m pretty sure.”
Busch claimed that there’s no question a driver needs funding behind them considering there’s not enough money in the sport anymore, and the owners don’t make enough to reinvest it back into the talent pool or the driver pool. The RCR driver added that apart from Kyle Larson at Hendrick Motorsports, “everybody else is sponsorship driven.”
