Hailie Deegan looks back on NASCAR success upon return to "favorite" road course for Indy NXT test

Hailie Deegan took part in an Indy NXT test at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Tuesday (April 22). The former NASCAR driver was one of 21 drivers testing their cars at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile circuit.

Though Indy NXT didn't release the lap times from the test day to the public, Deegan seemed to have a good day. She shared a succinct assessment in a video message via Mid-Ohio's X channel.

"First time here in an Indy NXT car. I've been here actually before in a (NASCAR) truck, and that was super fun, but totally different. We got to test here, make a bunch of laps. Super excited to come here. It's definitely a different feeling being in an Indy NXT car here. I know the race is coming in July, so you guys will have to come and check it out. It was super fun testing. It's just a different experience... totally, totally different."

The No. 38 HMD Motorsports driver also spoke about her love for the track and reminisced about her past success there from her time racing in the NASCAR Truck Series.

"The track is awesome. It's probably been one of my favorite road courses for a while now. Ever since I raced Trucks here, I have had some good finishes here. I've always liked this place," she said.

Hailie Deegan showed absolute brilliance at her first Truck race at Mid-Ohio in 2022. She started in a lowly 28th place on the grid and gained 18 positions in the race to finish in P10. It was her first Top 10 finish of the season and second of her Truck career.

Hailie Deegan reveals fiance Chase Cabre's contribution to her Indy NXT efforts

Hailie Deegan drives her No. 38 car at IndyCar's Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Hailie Deegan spent the early part of her racing career in dirt racing and stock cars, including the NASCAR Truck Series, ARCA Menards, and the Xfinity Series. As a result, she's facing a significant challenge adapting to the open-wheel Indy NXT cars in 2025. In addition to maneuvering the technical differences, Deegan needs time to adapt to the increased physicality of the open-wheel cars.

The 23-year-old recently revealed how her fiance, Chase Cabre, a former NASCAR driver who raced in the K&N Pro Series, is helping ease her transition.

"He’s really good on simulators. He’s been doing it since he was 14," she said via Indy NXT. "When I’m at home, we both have simulators at the house, so we're able to literally drive right next to each other. He pulls all the telemetry and the data, and I can overlay it with his. He was in the (sim racing) pro league during COVID, so he was doing all that. I’m not a sim person. I’m learning to be and want to be. It takes me time, so having something to reference of is really nice."

Hailie Deegan is the only female driver in the Indy NXT class of 2025, and she has embraced her role of inspiring the next-gen female racers. Her HMD Motorsports teammate, Sophia Floersch, parted ways with the team after the first race of the season due to budgetary concerns.