HAILIE DEEGAN’s Indy NXT Chapter Closes After Challenging Rookie Campaign

November 8, 2025

• HAILIE DEEGAN’s bold leap from stock cars to Indy NXT didn’t deliver the fairy-tale ending we were hoping for, but let’s be real about what actually happened here. After her NASCAR Xfinity deal imploded mid-season with AM Racing, the 24-year-old made a gutsy pivot to open-wheel racing despite zero prior experience. That takes serious courage, even if the results didn’t follow.
• The harsh reality hit hard when DEEGAN couldn’t crack a single top-10 finish with HMD Motorsports in 2025, consistently running toward the back of the field. Graham Rahal’s blunt assessment that “it’s damn near impossible to take an oval racer and train them to be an excellent road racer” stung, but it also highlights how the industry still struggles to support drivers making dramatic transitions between racing disciplines.
• What caught everyone off guard was how the physical demands of Indy NXT blindsided someone who’d always been a fitness enthusiast. DEEGAN openly admitted that NASCAR “is one of the most unphysical forms of racing” compared to wrestling open-wheel cars without power steering around road courses. The transition from her NASCAR success – including becoming the first woman to win in K&N Pro Series – to this struggle shows just how specialized modern racing has become.

euro nascar open, hmd motorsports, indy nxt, open-wheel racing