Hailie Deegan

Hailie Deegan isn’t just another driver trying to make it in motorsports—she’s the daughter of freestyle motocross royalty who’s been turning heads since she was eight years old, racking up historic wins and becoming the most-followed active NASCAR driver on social media before her twentieth birthday.

EARLY YEARS

Born July 18, 2001, in Temecula, California, Hailie Deegan never stood a chance at a normal childhood. When your dad is Brian Deegan—the most decorated Freestyle Motocross rider in X Games history—you don’t get a swing set in the backyard. You get a dirt oval. And that’s exactly what Brian built for his daughter, creating a private practice track where eight-year-old Hailie could learn to throw a truck around without anyone watching.

Growing up with siblings Haiden and Hudson, and mother Marissa, Deegan’s house in Temecula was less suburban dream and more motorsports compound. She experimented with motorcycles, ATVs, go-karts, and high-octane SuperTrucks from a young age, always surrounded by the roar of engines and competition crowds. While other kids were figuring out how to ride a bike without training wheels, she was learning car control on dirt, following her dad to races and soaking up everything from the best coaches, mechanics, and industry leaders in the business.

She loved the feel of wind on her dirt bike as a young girl, but it was behind the steering wheel where she’d find her calling. At eight years old, she jumped into her first race vehicle and never looked back.

OTHER INTERESTS

When you’re busy making history in motorsports, there’s not much time left for hobbies that don’t involve an engine. Deegan’s listed interests are refreshingly honest: training and driving fast. That’s it. That’s the list.

EARLY SUCCESS

Deegan started racing in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) in 2013, competing in the Junior 2 Karts class. By the end of that season, at just twelve years old, she became the first female to win a LOORRS championship—a statement that would become her calling card for years to come.

She didn’t slow down. In 2015, she claimed the Modified Kart Regional Champion title, then doubled down in her Pro Mod Kart #538 campaign with first overall finishes in both 2015 and 2016. The 2015 season saw her take 10 podiums including 4 wins across 13 races; 2016 was a repeat performance with another 10 podiums and 4 wins. That year, she also became the youngest driver ever to win Lucas Oil Off Road Pro Driver of the Year—and the only female to hold Pro/Regional championships in the series’ history.

In 2017, she moved up to Pro Lite #38, finishing sixth overall with six top-5s and five top-10s in 13 races. She also dipped her toes into asphalt racing that year with two CARS Super Late Model races, testing the transition from dirt to pavement that would define the next phase of her career.

By 2018, Deegan had fully committed to NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series West, wheeling the #19 Mobil 1 NAPA Power Toyota Camry. She won once, grabbed five top-5s and twelve top-10s across 14 races, and earned Rookie of the Year honors. The 2019 season was even better: two wins in just eight races, plus five top-5s and six top-10s. She became the first woman to win races in Series West in two consecutive years, and the second female in history to win a NASCAR touring race. Her 2019 season opener victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track made her the first female to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race, and later that season, she became the first female to lead the NASCAR championship standings.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2013: First female LOORRS champion (Junior 2 Karts class)[1][2].
• 2015: Modified Kart Regional Champion; Pro Mod Kart #538 first overall with 10 podiums and 4 wins[1][2].
• 2016: Lucas Oil Off Road Driver of the Year; Pro Mod Kart #538 first overall with 10 podiums and 4 wins; youngest driver to win Pro Driver of the Year; only female to win Lucas Oil Off Road Pro/Regional championships[1][2].
• 2018: NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Rookie of the Year; 1 win, 5 top-5s, 12 top-10s in 14 races; first woman to win NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race[3][5].
• 2019: First woman to win K&N Pro Series West races in consecutive years (3 total wins); first female to lead NASCAR championship standings; 2 wins, 5 top-5s, 6 top-10s in 8 races; most followed active NASCAR driver on Instagram and YouTube[1][3][4][5].
• 2020: NASCAR Truck Series debut season with 5 top-10 finishes[3].
• 2024: Partial NASCAR Xfinity Series season after three years in Craftsman Truck Series[1][3].
• 2025: Indy NXT by Firestone debut with HMD Motorsports[3].

INSPIRATIONS

There’s really only one name that matters here: Brian Deegan. Hailie has been following her dad since day one, and his influence is woven into every aspect of her career. He built her a backyard track. He brought her into the sport. He surrounded her with the best people in the business. The most decorated Freestyle Motocross rider in X Games history didn’t just give his daughter access—he gave her a masterclass in how to compete at the highest level.

REPUTATION

Deegan is known as an aggressive yet clearly talented rider with amazing car control. By 2019, she’d become one of the most visible women in racing—a phenom and trailblazer whose outgoing personality helped her build a massive social media following faster than any active NASCAR driver at the time. She’s been called a potential new face of NASCAR, and her track performance backs up the hype.

But she’s also quick to push back on being pigeonholed. “Being one of the girls that can go out there and win it shows other girls coming into the racing world that we can do it,” she told Under Armour in 2019, while making clear she doesn’t see herself as an anomaly. She’s taking her role as a role model seriously, but she’s also made it known that she wants to be the best driver—not just the best female driver. It’s a distinction that matters, and one she’s proving race by race.

Her ability to market to millennials hasn’t gone unnoticed either. With partnerships including Monster Energy, Under Armour, and Ethika, Deegan has turned visibility into viability, proving that talent plus personality can open doors in a sport that’s historically been tough on women.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

After three seasons in the Craftsman Truck Series and a partial 2024 Xfinity campaign, Deegan made the jump to open-wheel racing in 2025, joining HMD Motorsports for the Indy NXT by Firestone series. Through 14 starts, she’s ranked 14th with 202 points—a learning curve season in unfamiliar machinery, but one that shows her willingness to chase success across multiple racing disciplines.

She’s confident she can continue finding success in all forms of racing, and given her track record of being the first woman to do just about everything she’s tried, it’s hard to bet against her. Whether she stays in open-wheel or returns to stock cars, one thing’s clear: Hailie Deegan is still working her way up the ranks, and she’s nowhere near done making history.

References:

Monster Energy – Hailie Deegan Profile[1]
Hailie Deegan Racing – Official Biography[2]
Indy NXT – Hailie Deegan Driver Page[3]
Under Armour – Hailie Deegan Story (March 2019)[4]
Samford University Sports Analytics – Hailie Deegan (2019)[5]
Ethika News – Hailie Deegan[6]
ESPN – Hailie Deegan Profile[7]