Hailie Deegan drops her verdict on Cleetus McFarland's ingenious Freedom 500 idea

Indy NXT driver Hailie Deegan uploaded Instagram stories from Cleetus McFarland’s Freedom 500 race. The Monster Energy-sponsored driver hailed the YouTuber’s ingeniousness on the social media platform and reacted with a five-word caption.

Hailie Deegan was amongst the last few entries for the 2025 Freedom 500 race organized at the Freedom Factory. It's an exhibition race organized by Cleetus McFarland on the track that he owns. The race took place on April 4, 2025, with the entrants driving a Ford Crown Victoria, the quintessential police vehicle.

However, the event isn't just about the Freedom 500. Multiple other races also take place at the Freedom Factory. One such event was the van race, in which drivers took to the obstacle-laden oval and maneuvered minivans around it.

Hailie Deegan was impressed by Cleetus McFarland's idea of a Minivan race and uploaded a related video on her Instagram story on April 5. As the vans dodged the obstacles and others took the jump to avoid the same, Deegan waxed lyrical about it the caption.

“The van race is amazing 😂”, read the caption

Image credits: Instagram/@hailiedeegan

Hailie Deegan also uploaded a story as she showcased her Ford Crown Victoria for the 2025 Freedom 500. The car featured an all-violet paint job with the Monster Energy logo on the hood and her entry number i.e. 138 in bold yellow font on the door panels. As Deegan flaunted her vehicle, she said,

“This is my vehicle. Nice purple, very deep sparkling purple. But it looks pretty good. Hopefully it's fast, that's all I need. I need a fast car, I don't care what color it is, so we can win this thing.”

Credits: Instagram/@hailiedeegan

Unfortunately for Hailie Deegan, she couldn't take the win, as it was Travis Pastrana, the Rallycross and Motocross star, who won the 2025 Freedom 500. Pastrana took home the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 as the winner's prize and instantly painted the car in the colors of the US flag after winning.

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Hailie Deegan detailed her Indy NXT debut in an Instagram post

Hailie Deegan started racing on dirt before moving to race on tarmac in stock cars. However, with no real progression in the last couple of years, Deegan decided to take up the challenge of open-wheel racing, and participated in a couple of FR races last year, before joining HMD Motorsports for the 2025 Indy NXT season.

The Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg was Deegan's debut. Looking back at her debut, Deegan's Instagram post shared on March 3 read,

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

The American was multiple seconds off the pace of the leader during qualifying and started last. However, she improved her pace during the race and finished P14, just a couple of spots behind her teammate Sophia Floersch, who crossed the chequered flag in P12.