‘A lot of jealous men in NASCAR’: why Hailie Deegan has a better chance of succeeding in IndyCar

Hailie Deegan recently announced her plans to move to the IndyCar Series, specifically the Indy NXT Series, starting in 2025. Although the decision surprised many fans who thought she still had promising prospects in NASCAR and on dirt tracks, NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace supports it. move.

On a recent episode of “Coffee with Kenny” on X, Wallace explained why he thinks IndyCar might be a more suitable environment for Deegan than NASCAR. He observed, “They (IndyCar drivers) can’t cross it like they did in NASCAR. There are so many jealous men in NASCAR that they could take the vehicle and use it as a weapon and they would just run into her and spin her out…and that happened all the time.

Wallace also speculated on Deegan’s possible reasoning, suggesting: “They (NASCAR) are not ready for a woman. NASCAR is not ready for a female racer. So she goes to IndyCar. And if you notice, Danica Patrick had success there. And I think this is a better opportunity for Hailie and here’s why. Because you can’t take your car from Indy and meet another competitor because it would wreck your own car.

Deegan will join HMD Motorsports for this stint, where she will drive the No. 38 car throughout the 14-race season. Since entering the racing scene in 2017, Deegan has made his mark earning three victories in the ARCA Menards Series West before moving full-time to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2021.

Although she entered the Truck Series with considerable expectations, her stint resulted in only five top-10 finishes in 69 starts. Deegan first tested the waters in the Xfinity Series part-time in 2022, then moved to full-time competition in 2024, NASCAR’s version of Triple-A. During his tenure with AM Racing, Deegan competed in 17 races until their partnership concluded after the Nashville race.

Deegan talks about his unexpected move to IndyCar.

Leading the separate worlds of NASCAR and IndyCar, Deegan recently took to his YouTube channel to address his fans’ curiosity regarding the turning point in his career.

In a video showing a tour of her store, she explained: “I’m sure many of you are wondering why there was a big change in my career. Obviously, going from a stock car to a single-seater are two completely opposite things in the world of motorsport.

She added, “When I started racing the SRX series, I had the opportunity to meet some of the Indycar legends on this side of motorsport. This sparked my interest in the Open Wheel side even more.

As Deegan embarks on this new journey in IndyCar, all eyes will be on how she adapts and performs, given her mixed results during her tenure in NASCAR.