'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hailie Deegan has taken the challenge of her first Indy NXT season head-on. The 23-year-old former NASCAR driver made the switch to open-wheel racing in 2025, securing a seat with HMD Motorsports on the topmost rung of the IndyCar ladder series.
Deegan was only one of two female drivers in Indy NXT alongside teammate Sophia Floersch at the start of 2025. However, Floersch parted ways with HMD Motorsports after the season's first race due to budgetary challenges. This left Deegan as the sole female racer among 21 full-time drivers and two part-timers.
Deegan appeared on the Fox and Friends segment along with her brother Haiden, a motocross and supercross racer, and their dad, Brian Deegan, a 16-time X Games medal winner. When co-host Ainsley Earhardt asked Hailie Deegan how it felt to be a female driver in racing, she replied:
Trending
"Oh man, it's definitely wild. There's not many girls up there, so (I'm) trying to represent the females in the sport and showing other girls it's possible because there isn't many of them in racing. Very far and dew opportunities. It's definitely super hard, super physical, and so it's definitely a challenge, but I love it."
The 2025 Indy NXT season with HMD Motorsports is Hailie Deegan's first time competing in open-wheel cars. She previously raced stock cars, beginning her NASCAR career in the K&N Pro Series, winning races in 2018 and 2019, before moving to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for a three-year stint.
Deegan raced in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024 with AM Racing, which was cut short midway through the season because their goals no longer aligned.
"It was awesome": Hailie Deegan on her first oval test
Hailie Deegan has yet to adapt to the physicality of open-wheel cars. She found NASCAR to be 'unphysical' after her first Indy NXT test ahead of the 2025 season. This added challenge caused her to be significantly off the pace in the preseason tests and finish dead last.
Deegan took part in her first oval test in an Indy NXT car at Nashville Superspeedway. She was two-tenths off the pace for most of the session until she pushed flat-out to cover the gap. It was a decent turnaround compared to the beginning of the season, as she was 15th out of 19 drivers. She said, via Indy NXT on YouTube:
"It was awesome. It's so much fun. It was a lot to build up to, confidence-wise. I knew that today I was gonna have to go out here and be able to hold it wide open to be on pace and we were able to build up to that," Deegan said after test.
The HMD Motorsports driver suffered an issue with her helmet catching excess airflow. However, once it was resolved, it was smooth sailing.
"The car was super comfortable, super comfortable on the inside, setup-wise, everything. So I feel like we got a really good balance on it. Obviously, I feel like we're getting a little bit better every single time. Hit the track, so I knew the ovals would be a little more comfortable for me," she added.
Hailie Deegan's pace in the first race of the season at St. Petersburg was similar. She finished in P14 out of 21 drivers; however, she was the slowest among those whose race wasn't spoiled by contact or mechanical issues. The next race of the season is the Grand Prix of Alabama on May 4.
