“These cars are so hard to drive”: Hailie Deegan shares crystal clear emotions to Jamie Little on trading stock cars for IndyCar

Former NASCAR driver Hailie Deegan opened up about transitioning from stock cars to open-wheel racing in the Indy NXT Series. Before the first practice session, she told motorsports reporter Jamie Little that open-wheel cars are "hard to drive".

Deegan moved to the Indy NXT Series after AM Racing dismissed her mid-way through the 2024 Xfinity Series season. This year, she is set for her first full-time series schedule driving the No. 38 entry for HMD Motorsports.

Speaking about Hailie Deegan's adjustments in the second-tier open-wheel racing series, Jamie Little said (via INDYCAR on FOX on X):

"For her, where she started, in off-road trucks as a little girl. She went on up, moved to ARCA, then she ran a Truck Series, ran some Xfinity, and now she's trying open-wheel racing." [0:20]

"So I talked to her yesterday and said, 'What's the biggest difference between you?' She said, 'These cars are hard to drive,'" she added.

The NASCAR-turned-Indy NXT driver shared about adjusting to the open-wheel racing discipline by changing her workout routine. She told Little that her hands are small enough to fall off the steering wheel when driving the racecar.

"A lot of little comfort adjustments she's having to make, and now just trying to learn this car. She's had three days of testing and that is it. So she's struggling a bit here in practice but it is about getting comfortable at this point," Little concluded.

After the first practice session in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Friday, Hailie Deegan ranked last on the timing sheets with a best time of 01:09.9742 seconds. That's about 4.5 seconds off Dennis Hauger, who topped the session with a best time of 01:05.2225 seconds.

In addition, Deegan was about seven mph slower than Hauger with a best speed of 92.606 mph.

The No. 38 driver will make her series debut in the streets of St. Petersburg in Florida on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. ET. It is the first of 14 races scheduled for the 23-year-old.

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Hailie Deegan compared stock cars to open-wheel racing in Indy NXT Series

Hailie Deegan shared her experience transitioning from NASCAR to the Indy NXT Series. The Californian driver argued that driving a stock car didn't require as much physical training as piloting an open-wheel racecar, which she thought worked in her favor.

The now-Indy NXT Series driver said (via Xiomara Gerardo's interview on LinkedIn):

"I've always been into fitness. I've always loved working out, but it's not something I ever needed for NASCAR, ever. Like, it's one of the most unphysical forms of racing, to be honest."

While hot in-car temperatures tend to be harsh for stock car drivers, Deegan said she is used to it growing up in California and Arizona.

"Yeah, it's warm in the cars but I never had an issue with heat and I think that came from growing up racing in California, Arizona, where it's a 110, 115 (degrees Fahrenheit) when you are racing during the day. I never had the cool suit or anything like that in the NASCAR side," she added.

The young driver concluded:

"When it comes to the IndyCar of Indy NXT side of things, it is so much more physical, which I love. I love being able to train with a purpose. Before, I was just training to be in shape and be healthy."

Hailie Deegan at Phoenix Raceway in 2023 - Source: Imagn

Hailie Deegan competed in NASCAR between 2020 and 2024. She had three full seasons in the Craftsman Truck Series before moving to the Xfinity Series where she made her final NASCAR start.