"Getting better every time I sit in the car!": Hailie Deegan makes her feelings known on Indy NXT debut at St. Petersburg

HMD Motorsports driver Hailie Deegan wrapped up her first Indycar NXT race at St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 2. Deegan qualified for her debut race in the 21st position but made her way up to 14th spot.

The 23-year-old, known for her NASCAR career, announced her move to Indy NXT after facing problems securing sponsorships in 2024. Deegan made her testing debut for Indycar NXT on October 18, 2024, at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test.

Hailie Deegan took to Instagram to make her feelings known after making her race debut at the Indy NXT by Firestone with Andretti Global on Sunday.

"Lots of first time experiences at St.Pete! Had a blast racing on the street course for the first time and was awesome to have my whole family there to enjoy it with me. Getting better everytime I sit in the car! Just got to keep working hard at it 🙌 @monsterenergy," she wrote.

Hailie Deegan's debut weekend didn't start the way she wanted. She struggled in the practice sessions and ended last in the time charts. Deegan's qualifying session was no different, as she ended up at the back of the pack. Luckily, she turned her weekend around as she managed to navigate, make on-track passes, and put her car in the 14th position.

Deegan kept her race clean without being affected by the chaos during Lap 1. The incident involving Tommy Smith, Niels Koolen, and James Roe led to the race being reduced to 44 laps instead of 45.

Hailie Deegan speaks about her experience at the Indy NXT

Hailie Deegan had her first official outing in the single-seater at the Indy NXT by Firestone with Andretti Global at St. Petersburg on Sunday. The former NASCAR driver finished her debut race in 14th with a clean race. When talking to Dalton Hopkins of Frontstretch after the race, Deegan mentioned (0.07):

“Yeah I mean, I think it was a fun experience. I had a blast. I think my goal for this, I didn’t have like this huge expectation. Especially for this one just because it’s a street course. I don’t want to do anything dumb to where I hurt the car and lose out on track time. So, I kind of went into this weekend like, okay, like 95% cautiously aggressive, learn as much as I can. More so use all the time, valuable time that I could to get experience. So, going into it, I knew I was going to be off a little bit here. I think I’m really looking forward to Barber [Motorsports Park], because I’ve been there before.”

Deegan completed the 44 laps of the race as she made her way up the grid. For now, she is all focused on getting in the experience and getting comfortable with the car.