Hailie Deegan turning laps in the first INDY NXT by Firestone Series practice at St. Petersburg on February 28, 2025. (Photo Credit: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hailie Deegan is looking to follow in the footsteps of Danica Patrick, as the Temecula, California native is ready for her first open-wheel start in Sunday’s Firestone INDY NXT Series race at St. Petersburg to kick off her 2025 rookie campaign. She will start the season opener in the 21st position.
Deegan finished in 21st place during both 45-minute practice sessions held on Friday and Saturday, leading up to qualifying later on Saturday afternoon.
Deegan has spent the last seven years contesting in the ranks of the NASCAR world, as she shocked the world in the late 2010s for her impressive driving style in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (now ARCA Menards Series West), claiming three victories during her time at Bill McAnally Racing. She drove in the ARCA Menards Series full-time in 2020, claiming a third-place points finish with DGR-Crosley before her promotion to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series full-time in 2021, where she spent the next three seasons driving for David Gilliland Racing and ThorSport Racing, collecting a total of five top 10’s in 69 starts.
Her last tenure in NASCAR was with AM Racing, driving the No. 15 Ford Mustang in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series. She scored a career-best 12th place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring before parting ways with the team halfway through the season after Nashville Superspeedway.
The 23-year-old has been given another chance to compete, this time in open-wheel racing with HMD Motorsports, a two-time INDY NXT champion team, in the Firestone INDY NXT Series. She will be joined by her longtime sponsor, Monster Energy, as she drives the No. 38 Dallara IL-15 full-time during the 2025 season. This announcement was made on October 14, 2024. Deegan will be one of seven full-time drivers for the team in 2025.
HMD Motorsports has been a prominent competitor in the Firestone INDY NXT Series since its inception in 2019. This dynamic team operates as a crucial developmental program, providing aspiring drivers with the opportunity to hone their skills and showcase their talent in open-wheel racing. HMD Motorsports plays a pivotal role in guiding these emerging athletes as they pursue their dreams at one of the highest levels of INDYCAR competition.
Deegan is seizing every opportunity during the first two practice sessions as she continues to “shake down” and “adapt to the changes” of her new vehicle ahead of Saturday’s qualifying round. She has improved her performance, decreasing her lap times from the first practice to the second.
Hailie Deegan talking to the press following the first Firestone INDY NXT Series practice at St. Petersburg on February 28. (Photo Credit: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
“I feel like it’s been a great transition,” said Deegan in an interview following Friday’s practice session. “Everyone has been super welcoming, I have a great team, and everyone has just been super helpful.”
Deegan followed up with how challenging it is to go from one completely different car to another, as she is used to driving NASCAR stock cars over twice the weight of the Dallara IL-15, the main chassis used by HMD Motorsports.
“It’s totally different than anything that I am used to. I think the biggest thing for me is the physical side, getting stronger, and trying to get stronger in a hurry. NASCAR is not a super physical form of racing, I’ve never really had to work on certain things in NASCAR for my physical strength, so working on those sides of things, I have been trying to do so much in such a short period of time.”
Deegan also highlighted the mounting challenges she encounters for St. Petersburg, noting that she has never before navigated the complexities of a street circuit in her racing career. The tight turns and twists of the 1.8-mile circuit present a unique set of obstacles that she is both anxious and excited to tackle.
“St. Petersburg, I know is going to be a curveball for me, just because I’ve never been on a street course, I’ve never been to this race before and it’s all new to me, so I’m just trying to take what I can from it and just try and get through this weekend and go from there.”
