“This is by far the hardest form of racing I’ve ever been a part of” - Hailie Deegan reflects on her maiden Indy NXT race

Hailie Deegan shared her thoughts on racing following her Indy NXT debut at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2. The 23-year-old, who recently transitioned from NASCAR to IndyCar, made her first appearance in the Florida-based race with HMD Motorsports.

Deegan, who built a strong reputation in stock car and dirt track racing, had hoped for a more impressive debut in American open-wheel racing. However, the former IMSA driver could only manage a 14th-place finish in her first Indy NXT outing.

Reflecting on her experience, Deegan admitted that open-wheel racing has been the toughest challenge of her career so far.

The American driver also emphasized that she is still adapting to racing without power steering—a major shift from her previous disciplines.

In a video shared by motorsport journalist Dalton Hopkins on X (formerly Twitter), Hailie Deegan opened up about her maiden IndyCar Grand Prix experience.

“I think overall it was a fun experience. I had a blast, my goal for this weekend, I didn’t have like this huge expectation, especially for this one, the street course," Deegan said.

"I didn't want to do anything to like hurt the car. I came into this weekend with like 95% cautiously aggressive and used all the valuable time to gain experience,” she added.

Speaking on the tough and aggressive nature of IndyCar racing, she detailed (1.07):

“This is by far the hardest form of racing I’ve ever been a part of. By ‘hardest’, I mean physically, it is very physically demanding. I definitely need to be in the gym, which I have been in in the last month, but i just need to keep on working hard this year.”

Hailie Deegan, however, expressed optimism about the next round of racing at the Grand Prix of Alabama, held at Barber Motorsports Park—a circuit she has previously raced on.

Nonetheless, while the HMD Motorsports driver found her Indy NXT debut challenging, the same cannot be said for Dennis Hauger. The Andretti Global racer topped practice, claimed pole position, and clinched victory at the St. Petersburg race. The former Red Bull Racing junior driver will be hoping his incredible start to the season continues across the remaining races.

Hailie Deegan speaks on possible return to NASCAR

INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Day 2 - Source: Getty

Hailie Deegan has recently addressed the possibility of returning to NASCAR. The American driver initially made her mark in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with AM Racing, but a string of races without a top-10 finish ultimately led to her departure.

The 23-year-old later made the switch to open-wheel racing, joining HMD Motorsports to compete in Indy NXT.

However, in an interview relayed by Newsweek, Hailie Deegan made it clear that she hasn’t completely ruled out a return to NASCAR.

"I'm not actively looking for a [NASCAR Xfinity Series] ride or anything, but if a couple million dollars falls into my lap, awesome," Deegan said.

"It's the same situation for everyone—not many opportunities come unless you have deep pockets. I think a lot of people fail to realize just how expensive NASCAR is. It's very tough from that perspective. Obviously, I would have loved to race full-time in Xfinity, but only in a competitive car. The reality is, it takes a lot of sponsorship to make that happen," she added.

Throughout her NASCAR career, Hailie Deegan secured race wins in the K&N Pro Series West, the ARCA Menards Series, and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, further solidifying her reputation in stock car racing.