Deegan, a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular, inching closer to ultimate goal of Cup Series.
Sean GardnerGetty ImagesIn 2019, Ford Performance signed then 18-year-old Hailie Deegan to a Driver Development contract, and the manufacturer appears to be closer to seeing a return on its investment.
Deegan, 21, finished 13th in her NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on Oct. 15 in the Alsco Uniforms 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She qualified mid-pack in 20th after saying her goal was to “stay on the lead lap and grow more comfortable as the race progressed.”
When asked to sum up her day Deegan said: “We were able to have a pretty fun day, a pretty clean day and super happy.”
#NASCAR … Hailie Deegan finished 13th in her Xfinity debut. Will she be running full-time in Xfinity next year? What she said … pic.twitter.com/Tw4H4nQLAF
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) October 15, 2022
This result also goes a long way for a driver like Deegan, who is in her second season of competition in the Camping World Truck Series, and maybe not seeing the finishes she would like. She’s 21st in the points standings this season with a season-best and career-best finish of sixth at Talladega. She has three top-10 finishes in 44 career NASCAR Truck Series starts.
It’s worth noting she has yet to announce her plans for 2023, and in particular her plans to move to the Xfinity Series and the doorstep to the NASCAR Cup Series.
“When you run great, it helps deals for the future,” Deegan said in an interview with NBC. “You’ve got to have sponsors to pay the bills (and) trying to get the funding is definitely tough, but we’re still trying to figure out what we’re doing. I wish I had answers for you guys. I want answers myself. We don’t know when it’s going to be, it could be next year, it could be two years I really don’t know.”
Keyword: Hailie Deegan Turns Heads with Impressive NASCAR Xfinity Series Debut