"I feel so out of place" - Ex-NASCAR driver Hailie Deegan shares raw feelings from Indy NXT debut at St. Petersburg

Hailie Deegan made the switch to open-wheel racing for the 2025 season after seven-plus years of exclusive stock car racing. With her first weekend in Indy NXT setting off at St. Petersburg, the 23-year-old revealed how she felt out of place coming out from NASCAR-centric racing.

After racing for four years in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series, Deegan made the jump for a full-time venture in the Xfinity series. However, her journey in the Xfinity series was short-lived, as she parted ways with AM Racing 17 races into the 2024 season.

Hailie Deegan was then spotted around the IndyCar paddock and made her open-wheel racing debut in the Formula Regional Americas championship. There, she claimed a top-10 finish in her second race start and settled her eyes on performing well with HMD Motorsports on her debut in Indy NXT.

After racing in the NASCAR ladder for the majority of her career, Indy NXT was a big switch. Moreover, the 23-year-old revealed how the qualifying format felt foreign to her on her debut weekend in St. Petersburg, as she said:

"This is all so new to me. I feel so out of place, it's so foreign like I'm used to qualifying; you're getting in rolling off one at a time. I don't know it's just so different like the vibe is totally different." (5:05 onwards)

Hailie Deegan qualified last for the race around the 1.8-mile track.

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Hailie Deegan reflects on her debut run in St. Petersburg

Hailie Deegan at the INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Though qualifying last was a major setback, Deegan aimed to make an impact on raceday. She began climbing up the grid, and with some unfortunate luck on her rival's end alongside her pace, she was able to finish 14th in the race.

The 23-year-old then opened up on her debut in Indy NXT, and said (via X/@PitLaneCPT):

"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."

The next Indy NXT race is scheduled to take place at the Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama on May 4. In the meantime, IndyCar will host two races at the Thermal Club and Long Beach.