HAILIE DEEGAN Finishes Last in First INDY NXT Practice, 4.7 Seconds Behind

March 1, 2025

by Veerendra Vikram Singh // from www.sportskeeda.com

• HAILIE DEEGAN’s transition from NASCAR to open-wheel racing hit a reality check in her first official INDY NXT practice session at St. Petersburg, where she finished dead last – 4.7 seconds off the pace and even 3 seconds behind rookie teammate SOPHIA FLOERSCH. After her disappointing 2024 NASCAR Xfinity season ended mid-year with AM Racing, she’s betting everything on this complete career pivot to HMD Motorsports.
• The 23-year-old didn’t sugarcoat the challenges she’s facing, admitting the INDY NXT cars are “hard to drive” and require completely different physical demands. She’s had to overhaul her workout routine and deal with comfort issues like her hands wanting to slip off the wheel – honest acknowledgment that shows she understands the mountain she’s climbing in this transition.
• While practice times don’t tell the whole story due to unknown fuel loads and programs, the gap to her teammates is concerning. With only three days of testing under her belt before this debut, DEEGAN faces a steep learning curve as she tries to prove that reinventing herself in open-wheel racing was the right call after her stock car dreams stalled out.

hmd motorsports, indy nxt, open-wheel racing, st. petersburg