Joey Logano reveals how he landed Hailie Deegan’s ride for Chicago Xfinity race

Joey Logano discussed stepping in for Hailie Deegan at AM Racing for the upcoming Chicago Street race during a conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr. He shared that the team reached out last week to inform him that the #15 seat was becoming available and asked if he would be interested in driving it. Logano was open to the opportunity but first sought approval from his boss, Roger Penske.

Logano, who just won at the Ally 400 in Nashville, is in his 16th Cup season, his 12th with Team Penske. His last appearance in the Xfinity Series was in 2019 at the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he drove the #12 Ford to a 36th-place finish.

Meanwhile, Hailie Deegan's rookie season in the Xfinity Series has been challenging. With an average finish of 26.8 and just four in the top 20 out of her 17 starts, she currently ranks 27th on the Series standings, the lowest among drivers who have participated in every event.

Last year, Joey Logano secured a P8 finish in the inaugural Cup Series race on the streets of the Windy City. That same weekend also saw AM Racing achieve a season-best result in its first Xfinity season, with Brett Moffitt driving the team's #25 Ford to a fourth-place finish.

This year, when the opportunity arose for Joey Logano to race again in Chicago, and that too twice, he was eager to take it. Describing how the opportunity came about, Logano said:

"They called me last week and said, hey, you know we got the seat here for 15 that seems like to open up and do you want to drive it? I thought, well, I think so. Let me clear with my boss, Roger, to make sure that's okay and there's no sponsor conflicts written like that, right? And once I had all that clear, it just seemed to make sense. And that's what a good deal is, right?"

"It's gonna work some both sides of the deal. And when you think about, you know, I am racing, they were looking to have an experienced driver in there and get kind of an idea of where their program's at. And then I was, you know, looking at it and saying, man, I can get more laps on the Chicago Street Course," he added.

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Joey Logano replacing Hailie Deegan will benefit AM Racing

With 43 cars lined up for the Downtown Chicago race, a strong performance from Joey Logano at The Loop 110 could provide a provisional safety net for the car in future races. The #15 Ford is at the bottom of the championship standings. Normally, the fastest 33 cars automatically qualify for the race, while positions 34 through 37 are determined based on points.

The 38th position is specifically reserved for a past race winner from this year or last, assuming the driver was registered for that team and vehicle by the entry deadline. If no eligible driver fits this criterion, the spot is given to the next highest car in the owner points standings.

This season has been particularly tough for rookie driver Hailie Deegan in the #15 Ford, compelling the team to find a driver who could not only qualify in the Chicago Street race but also gather enough points to avoid consistently missing the cut for future races.