"That’ll cost them a lot of money": NASCAR world reacts as Gene Haas offers Hailie Deegan a potential seat in 2025

Hailie Deegan's potential seat on Gene Haas' 2025 team has had the NASCAR community buzzing with reactions. Following a recent tweet by Jim Utter on talks between Haas, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and Deegan, many fans have taken to social media to express their views on the same.

Deegan was the first woman to win a Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series championship in 2013 and earned the NASCAR Diversity Young Racer Award in 2017.

She drove the No. 15 Ford Mustang for AM Racing Deegan in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series. However, Deegan and AM Racing recently parted ways due to the former's poor performances. As such, there has been a lot of uncertainty with regard to Deegan's future.

Now, it has emerged that Gene Haas is reportedly considering offering the 23-year-old a seat on their Xfinity Series team.

Some fans were not at all happy with the news. While some questioned the decision entirely, others brought up concerns about costs.

Jason Bragg (@jbraggrn) bluntly stated, “That would be a waste of money."

"They are gonna have a disappointing season next year then," opined @DangerMcCann43.

However, not all reactions were negative.

A fan wrote, “Great!! I think this would be a way better team for her and will actually support her unlike AM Racing.”

“Hailie Deegan potentially going to Haas for Xfinity was not on my 2024 NASCAR bingo card. I hope that she finds a ride somewhere. She’s talented but just needs guidance and I think Haas could help her become a better driver,” tweeted Alex Stricklin (@StricklinAlex).

---

Hailie Deegan on her future

The 23-year-old Californian native, Deegan, is known for her bold style of racing. She also has a sizable fan base, with 583,000 YouTube subscribers, 3.2 million Tik Tok followers, and 1.6 million Instagram followers.

She joined NASCAR’s truck series in 2021 and secured five top-10 finishes and an average finish of 21st. Her best finish in the Xfinity Series with AM Racing during the previous year was 12th at Talladega. She could only manage two top-25 finishes in the last eight races. Earlier this month, AM Racing parted ways with her and chose Joey Logano, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, to drive the car.

Deegan stated in a social media post that her main goal was to find opportunities to get back into the competitive arena.

"The only thing I am focused on is getting back to being competitive.. That is ALL that matters to me. I’m working as quick as possible to find the best opportunities to get back to the track," she wrote.