Hailie Deegan amongst NASCAR legend’s 3 ‘Most Popular drivers’ in the sport 

Retired NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace has ranked Hailie Deegan as the most popular driver in the sport. Deegan was recently released from AM Racing midway through the season.

Coming through the ranks of the NASCAR Truck Series, Hailie Deegan quickly rose to prominence as one of the leading female racecar drivers in the country. The California native spent three full seasons in the Trucks, driving for David Gilliland Racing and ThorSport Racing before securing promotion to the Xfinity Series.

Deegan signed a multi-year contract with AM Racing at the end of last year. Her progress in NASCAR resulted in the 22-year-old driver gaining a significant following across her social media platforms.

However, after only 17 races in 2024, AM Racing decided to part ways with Hailie Deegan. After initially being replaced by Team Penske veteran Joey Logano for the Xfinity race in Chicago, Deegan now finds herself without a ride for the remainder of the campaign.

However, despite the turmoil in her career, Deegan has been branded among the most popular NASCAR drivers by racing legend Kenny Wallace. Via a tweet from his X handle, Wallace wrote:

"The 3 Most Popular drivers in @NASCAR

1- @HailieDeegan

2- @BubbaWallace

3- @dennyhamlin

Without these drivers there is crickets 🏁"

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NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. sympathizes with Hailie Deegan

Dale Earnhardt Jr., another revered figure in NASCAR, has expressed his understanding of Deegan's situation. Speaking on a recent episode of his Dale Jr Download podcast, Earnhardt Jr. reflected on the challenges faced by drivers such as Deegan. He said:

“Hailie is a product of a very challenging system. This is the same for a lot of drivers that I’ve worked with... A lot of times, whatever the financial support is for a driver, it is very difficult." (1:03:50)

Emphasizing about the financial aspects of the sport, Earnhardt said:

"What happens is, and this is I believe somewhat similar for Hailie, is — in a perfect world, you would let Hailie run in that K&N Series, or run super-late-models, or run Trucks, a few more years. What happens is, there’s a bit of an urgency, to try to move up and take the very next available opportunity, at the next level, because the support financially is not forever, and you do not know when that finally dries up."

Earnhardt Jr. highlighted the pressure drivers face to seize opportunities quickly. He added:

"I think a lot of times, drivers then ultimately end up in bad situations, that don’t pan out for them, and this is one of those scenarios where, I think that she felt like, ‘Man, I’ve really got to take this.’ She took it, when it might not have been the opportunity she should’ve chosen."

After 17 starts, Hailie Deegan could only accumulate 174 points to her name. She is set to be replaced by Josh Berry in the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.