Hailie Deegan has answered an important question about her racing future -- she will take on a new racing series in 2025.
Deegan announced on Monday that she will move from NASCAR to open-wheel racing. She will compete full-time in the Indy NXT by Firestone. She will drive the No. 38 entry for HMD Motorsports.
The move to Indy NXT and open-wheel cars will be an adjustment for Deegan, who has spent the past several years in stock car racing. She does not have experience in this IndyCar Series feeder series or the style of cars it uses.
To make the transition easier, Deegan has spent time working with Nathan Toney. He is a former HMD Motorsports engineer who runs Toney Driver Development.
According to the Indy NXT team, Deegan has taken part in multiple test sessions at a variety of circuits. She will also join her teammates -- Caio Collet, Josh Pierson, Tommy Smith, and Bryce Aron -- on Oct. 18 for the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
BREAKING: @HailieDeegan is set to make her #INDYNXT debut with @HMDMotorsports, piloting the No. 38 in 2025. pic.twitter.com/T1aJfY8X25
— INDY NXT by Firestone (@INDYNXT) October 14, 2024
Deegan will also take on another open-wheel series, the Formula Regional Americas Championship, at the end of October as she competes at Circuit of the Americas. This will be her official debut in this new style of racing.
"Hailie, and especially the Deegan name, are huge in motorsports, and we welcome them to the HMD Motorsports family," HMD Team President Mike Maurini said in a statement. "Hailie has already been out to the shop and is taking the move to open-wheel racing seriously.
"She is looking for a place in the Indianapolis area to be immersed with the team and is already working with her engineer. We want to make sure she and all the other HMD Motorsports drivers are as ready as possible for every on-track session."
Deegan has delivered some solid finishes on road courses while rising through the stock car racing ranks. She posted a top-10 finish at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the Truck Series in 2022. She finished sixth at the Daytona Road Course during a 2020 ARCA Menards Series race.
Deegan also posted multiple top-10 finishes on road courses while competing in the ARCA Menards Series West.
The California native will now take on a schedule that combines ovals, road courses, and street courses.
This schedule includes some familiar destinations such as Nashville Superspeedway, Portland International Raceway, Iowa Speedway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and World Wide Technology Raceway.
The Indy NXT schedule also features new tracks for Deegan such as the streets of Detroit, the streets of St. Petersburg, Road America, and Barber Motorsports Park.
I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to working with a proven program in HMD Motorsports," Deegan said. "I have much to learn, but I am ready to go.
"The team brings a wealth of knowledge for me to pull from, and I look forward to soaking up as much of that as possible before my race debut next March in St. Petersburg."