Hailie Deegan, a social media sensation, a trailblazer for women in racing, and a future Cup Series star, was heralded as NASCAR’s next great thing for years. However, after three disappointing seasons in the NASCAR Truck Series, it’s clear that her hopes of owning a stock car may be permanently dashed.
A Brutal Fall After a Meteoric Rise
Deegan rose through the ranks quickly and with promise. As a three-time ARCA Menards Series champion, she amassed a huge social media following of about five million, surpassing even some Cup drivers in popularity. However, her Truck Series results fell far short of expectations, and fame doesn’t win races. Deegan never achieved success on the track despite his celebrity, marketing appeal and NASCAR’s brutal financial structure only made things worse.
“You don’t have a ride if you don’t have millions.” Money talks in NASCAR, and even good drivers find it difficult to get competitive rides without millions of dollars in sponsorship. Deegan has been open about the high cost of staying in the game, particularly at the Cup or Xfinity levels. Saying to a sponsor, “You’re going to get your value for spending a couple hundred grand on this race,” is difficult. People cannot be promised that. Therefore, it’s really difficult from that angle. — Hailie Deegan With a best finish of 12th and only 17 races completed, Deegan’s 2023 Xfinity experiment was short-lived. Her NASCAR career was in jeopardy since she lacked the $6 million required to operate a premier Xfinity team.
“Unless you have a lot of money, there aren’t many opportunities. I would definitely accept $6 million if it suddenly became available to run for a reputable Xfinity team. Even Cup champions in this sport have financial difficulties, thus Deegan never had the resources to buy top-tier gear, and her performance never warranted a significant investment.
Changing to Open-Wheel Racing: Will Her NASCAR Dream Come to an End?
Unexpectedly, Deegan, who was once heralded as a future Cup star, is switching to open-wheel racing as there is no obvious NASCAR route forward. Does this mark the end of her NASCAR career? Yes, it appears to be. For Deegan, it’s just a matter of surviving in a sport where money and results are the only things that matter, but for her admirers, it’s a devastating reality.
