NASCAR Rumors: Kenny Wallace adds voice to Hailie Deegan's potential move to Gene Hass' HFT

Since her recent split from AM Racing, there has been a lot of speculation about Hailie Deegan's future in NASCAR. The latest developments suggest she will join Gene Haas' Haas Factory Team. Most recently, NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace shared his views on the 23-year-old's potential move to HFT.

Deegan, who is the daughter of motocross legend Brian Deegan, is one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR. This year, she was in her first full-time Xfinity season, piloting the #15 Ford for AM Racing. However, in 17 race starts, the youngster failed to secure anything better than a P12 finish, which came at Talladega. Her failure to perform up to expectations resulted in a split between her and AM Racing.

Following SHR's closure, co-owner Gene Haas confirmed his presence in NASCAR for the 2025 season with the Haas Factory Team. As HFT finalizes its driver lineup, speculation has intensified about Hailie Deegan securing an Xfinity Series seat. Joe Custer, the COO of HFT, has also shown an interest in the Temecula native.

Kenny Wallace recently shed some light on Deegan's potential move to HFT via a video posted on his YouTube channel. Wallace said:

"It's not official but I think Hailie Deegan's going to be in a second, they're (HFT) going to field two Xfinity cars, and I think she's going to get a chance." [02:25]

Wallace then elaborated on Deegan's lack of success in the Truck Series. He said Deegan was most likely not given a powerful car.

"It's like everybody, let's see what they can do in a good car you know, and as far as her not running good in the Truck, well maybe she was in two vehicles that were not up to par, maybe they just keep giving her a car like 'Here you go' give it to the girl, maybe," he added.

After her exit from NASCAR, Deegan raced in the SpeedTour All-Star race at Lime Rock Park last weekend. After a good qualifying session, she secured a P5 start and an overall P6 finish, competing for Nitro Motorsports. There was speculation about Deegan opting to race in the IndyCar series, but recent developments suggest she is likely to retain her spot in NASCAR.

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"There's more in her" - HFT COO Joe Custer comments on Hailie Deegan's future

HFT COO and Xfinity Series driver Cole Custer's Father, Joe Custer, recently commented on Hailie Deegan's future with HFT. Custer said (via NBC Sports):

"We believe there’s more in her, and we want to be a part of that. ... But that’s for future conversations."

Custer further elaborated on HFT's expectations for the upcoming season. and declared that the team is looking at all options, irrespective of whether the driver has NASCAR experience or not.

"We are willing to look at all options as far as drivers go. Maybe somebody that is already in the sport. Maybe somebody that’s a Cup driver that comes down[...]We’ve got to put cars in the winner’s circle. We’ve got to sort out our equipment because our business model is reliant on having technical partners to keep the program healthy," he stated.

As things currently stand, Xfinity driver Cole Custer has secured a seat in the Cup Series with HFT for 2025, facilitating a vacancy in the Xfinity Series, which Deegan is a favorite to fill.