"It shows that people care": When Hailie Deegan secured Ford’s backing for her racing future

Hailie Deegan was on the eve of her NASCAR career back in 2020. Ahead of that season, however, the upstart racing sensation had secured the backing of Ford, who signed her on to their driver development program.

The agreement began with Deegan getting behind the wheel full-time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2020, driving for DGR-Crosley. The agreement also allowed Deegan to drive a handful of sports car events in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Not long after the announcement, Deegan expressed her gratitude via NASCAR.com about Ford signing her as a development driver. Deegan was just 18 years old at the time, and Ford's signing assured her that people cared about her racing future and wanted her to prosper in NASCAR.

“It was really cool because they came to me,” Deegan said. “It shows that people care, it shows that they want to be fully invested and want to better your future and have a good relationship for a long time, and that’s something that I was super-interested in when they came to me. I know that it’s going to be a crazy next year, and if everything goes well with David Gilliland Racing, which I think it will because he has such a good program, we should have some good success next year.”

Hailie Deegan scored four top fives and finished third in the ARCA Menards Series in 2020 before moving up to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series full-time in 2021. The California native wheeled the #1 DGR-Crosley truck to one top 10 and a 17th-place finish in points in her rookie campaign.

Deegan struggled over her next two seasons in Trucks, however, tallying only a combined four top 10s and finished no better than 19th in the points standings. Yet, she moved up to the Xfinity Series in 2024 full-time to drive for AM Racing.

That didn't go as planned, either, as Hailie Deegan and the team parted ways midway through the season after she ran 17 races and posted an average finish of 26.8. Deegan now competes in the Indy NXT, a development program under the IndyCar brand.

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Hailie Deegan reflected on Indy NXT debut in IG post

Hailie Deegan waves at fans during the driver’s introductions before the start of the NASCAR Xfinity Sonoma 250 at Sonoma Raceway - Source: Imagn

After competing at NASCAR's highest levels from 2019-2024, Hailie Deegan has ventured into a new form of motorsports in Indy NXT. Earlier this month, the 23-year-old made her Indy NXT debut at St. Petersburg, where she finished 14th.

Deegan reflected on the race via Instagram, penning the caption:

"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"

Hailie Deegan carried over Monster Energy as a primary sponsor in Indy NXT. The energy drink brand had been her primary sponsor for the bulk of her NASCAR career.