After three full seasons in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series, Hailie Deegan has signed a multi-year deal with AM Racing to drive the No. 15 Ford Mustang full-time in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, starting in 2024.
“I would have probably never been able to race in the Xfinity Series full time if it wasn’t for (team president) Wade (Moore) and everybody at AM Racing and Ford sticking behind me,” says the 22-year-old Deegan, who has recorded five top-10 finishes in 67 career CraftsmanTruck Series races.
“I didn’t know if it was actually gonna happen because opportunities like these are kind of once-in-a-lifetime or once-in-a-career opportunities when it comes to NASCAR racing.”
Deegan made her Xfinity Series debut last year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She qualified 20th and finished 13th in a Ford owned by SS GreenLight Racing. She cites learning the Xfinity Series’ car’s dynamics and the mechanical side of it as her biggest challenges in 2024.
“My first Xfinity race the car drove so different from what I was used to and what I was used to in trucks,” says Deegan, who is 19th the Craftsman Truck Series season standings with just two top-10s in 21 races they year. “I think the Xfinity car is really gonna suit my style of driving. After talking to a lot of drivers who have been in the same position as me, going to Trucks and Xfinity versus ARCA and all that, I think there has been a lot of drivers say the Xfinity car will be a lot easier than the truck and it relates more to … ARCA.”
Deegan, who’s been in Ford’s development program since 2020, says she’ll be with the Statesville, N.C.-based team for “a few years.”
“I think when it comes to the progression of everything and our goals, I’d say we’re very aligned on that—me and the team—and accomplishing what we want to,” Deegan says. “I think my goal is to obviously make the playoffs in my first year, so everyone is on board with that.”
Deegan and Moore noted they didn’t know each other until the Circuit of the Americas Xfinity Series race in March.
“It’s been a learning experience understanding who she is as a person, which I think is kind of what fast-tracked this deal for us to get it done because when you meet Hailie and you spend time with her, you learn that she’s a very driven person,” Moore says. “She’s a very passionate person. Her moral compass really does align not only with our families, but a lot of our partners.”
AM Racing was established in December 2015 by entrepreneur Tim Self. The team competed in NASCAR’s Truck Series until moving to the Xfinity Series this year with 2018 Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt as its full-time driver. Moffitt’s best Xfinity finish this year has been fourth at the Chicago Street Course. With its move into the Xfinity Series this year, the team formed a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing. It also fielded a team in the Truck Series this year as well as the ARCA Menards Series.
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