Hailie Deegan shares glimpses of "finer things in life" ahead of Indy NXT debut

Former NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Hailie Deegan shared a glimpse of her sessions with HMD Motorsports as she prepares for her Indy NXT debut for the 2025 season. Her contract with AM Racing in the Xfinity Series was terminated midway through the 2024 season and subsequently, she found her way into the open-wheel series.

Deegan announced her move to HMD Motorsports in October last year. She recently shared a few pictures from her off-season testing in the series, driving the #38 car around the track.

"The finer things in life 🫶," she captioned the Instagram post.

Deegan made her full-time debut in Xfinity with AM Motorsports in the 2024 season, having run one race back in 2022 where she finished in 13th place. However, she could not keep up with her competitors. In the 17 races she participated in, Deegan regularly finished out of the top 20 and did not manage any better finish than the P12 she gained in Talladega.

Heading into the open-wheel series format, it's set to be a new challenge for her. In a statement shared shortly after announcing her move, Hailie Deegan mentioned that she was prepared to take on the Indy NXT challenge with HMD Motorsports.

"I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to working with a proven program in HMD Motorsports," Deegan said. "I have much to learn, but I am ready to go. The team brings a wealth of knowledge for me to pull from, and I look forward to soaking up as much of that as possible before my race debut next March in St. Petersburg."

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Hailie Deegan reflects on the one she would need to get used to racing in Indy

The 23-year-old has previously raced in the Craftsman Truck Series, the K&N Pro Series, and the ARCA Menards Series. Heading into Indy would be a new adventure for her.

Reflecting on racing without a cockpit around her, Hailie Deegan mentioned that it would be different and she would have to get used to the constant feeling that her "head" would get "ripped off."

"I've never raced here before and never even been to the facility," Deegan said via Indy NXT. "So really got to check it all out, really enjoyed seeing everything."

"It's definitely odd," she said. "I could tell you that it's different not having a windshield. That’s something when you race at Daytona, you don't think about. On this side of things, you feel like your head's going to rip off. That’s something that I'm definitely having to get used to. Not having the windshield and being able to really feel everything is unique."

Hailie Deegan was a consistent driver in the junior racing series. She won three races in the K&N Pro Series West and remained within the top ten in the ARCA Series. However, with Indy, it's set to be a new challenge for her in the open-wheel series.