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Since Hailie Deegan was ousted from AM Racing, fans have wondered what her next step could be, and Deegan may be taking an unorthodox route. IndyCar YouTuber David Land reports that Deegan is at the IndyCar race in Iowa, particularly spending time around IndyNXT, the second-tier series.
This report shows that Deegan is in Iowa and primarily around the Indy NXT garage. Whether this was set up by a race team interested in Deegan or if Deegan set it up herself to see what her options were, we don’t know. Either way, interest is there.
Indy NXT is the last step on the development ladder to IndyCar. It’s viewed similarly to the NASCAR Xfinity Series or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Another interesting note that BMG12 on X points out is that Deegan follows both Indy NXT and Andretti Global’s IndyCar team on Instagram. We checked this for ourselves and confirmed that it is true as of this writing but could not confirm when it occurred.
Andretti is one of the top teams in IndyCar. Their Indy NXT team has a female driver, Jamie Chadwick. In June, Chadwick became the first woman to win an Indy NXT race in 15 years when she took the checkered flag at Road America.
It’s also worth noting that Ford is not involved in IndyCar, casting doubt on whether Deegan and Ford are still on good terms.
Frankly, the bigger question might be, “why not?” It’s been a tough go for Deegan in NASCAR, so why not try something new if the opportunity presents itself? However, moving between NASCAR and IndyCar usually does not yield good results.
Danica Patrick moved to full-time NASCAR in 2012 after eight IndyCar seasons, during which she won one race, recorded seven podium finishes, and finished 10th or better in points every year except her rookie season. Her NASCAR career saw only 14 top-10s in 252 races between the Xfinity Series and Cup Series, and she finished 24th or worse in the points standings in every Cup Series season.
What about arguably the greatest NASCAR driver of all time, Jimmie Johnson? He made 29 IndyCar starts between 2021 and 2022, and he never finished better than 16th on road courses, with 16 finishes outside the top 20. His four best finishes came on ovals in 2022: fifth and 11th in two races at Iowa, sixth at Texas, and 14th at Gateway.
This can be credited to the development of both series. NASCAR is still predominantly an oval-based series, and most drivers cut their teeth racing on short tracks or dirt tracks. While a mixed schedule overall, IndyCar still predominantly races on road courses and street circuits. IndyCar drivers typically take a similar development route to Formula One drivers, working their way up through karting and Formula cars on road courses.
Deegan’s background primarily includes dirt track racing through off-roading and dirt bikes. On road courses this season, she never qualified better than 33rd, and she finished twice outside of the top 30. All in the same equipment, Joey Logano took to a top 10 on the Streets of Chicago. In fairness, Deegan did record a top-10 at Mid-Ohio in 2022 in the Truck Series, so she has had success on road courses before.
However, her experience should be a big boost on the oval tracks. This includes tracks she’s raced on before in the lower series, like Gateway, Milwaukee, Iowa, and Nashville. She also has experience on road courses that IndyCar races at, like Portland, Road America, and Mid-Ohio.
All things considered, it would be an interesting move for Deegan should it happen. However, recent history suggests it might be a struggle.
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