Why did AMR give Hailie Deegan an Xfinity seat for 2024 despite not yet scoring a top-5 finish in the Truck Series?
Hailie Deegan’s last top-5 finish came in 2020 in the ARCA series race at Illinois.
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Hailie Deegan (Via IMAGO)
NASCAR’s most promising female prodigy, Hailie Deegan, has finally landed the Xfinity Series she has long longed for. She will drive the No:15 Ford Mustang from 2024 in the second tier of stock car racing with AM Racing. The dirt racer turned NASCAR driver will be sponsored by AirBox, Inc. and VIVA Tequila Seltzer.
Deegan, who is the first female racer since Danica Patrick to ascend to stardom amongst the female racers, landing the Xfinity seat raised some eyebrows amongst the fans. This was mainly due to her failure to establish herself in the Truck Series despite driving full-time for three seasons. Alongside her talent, AMR sees it as an opportunity to strengthen its partnership with Ford and the team sponsors.
“We are excited to provide her with a home where she can grow as a cornerstone of our young program. It is an exciting time as we continue to strengthen our relationships within the Ford camp, AIRBOX, Viva, and our other partners respectively. There is a great deal of work to be done for all of us, but we are grateful and welcome the challenges ahead,” team president Wade Moore said (H&T: RACER).
Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, expects the ex-ARCA race winner to emulate her impressive Xfinity debut from last season at Vegas this year. His words hint that Ford also found that the Truck series wasn’t the best fit for her. That might have helped them to overlook that she has scored just six top-10s in the Truck in 67 starts with the finish of P6. They are rewarding her for their hard work and for what she has done.
“We are excited to see Hailie continuing to advance her career by running full-time with AM Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024. Hailie works so hard on and off the track, and AM Racing will surround her with a great team to continue her development. From what we saw from Hailie in her Xfinity Series debut in Las Vegas last year, we look forward to some great results in 2024,” Rushbrook said.
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What are Hailie Deegan’s expectations with the Xfinity entry?
Since AMR is a midfield team, fighting for wins every other race will be a long shot for her, but she will have a couple of opportunities in Superspeedways. Having someone as completive as Brett Moffitt in the No:25 car as a teammate will help her pursue a Cup seat. The partnership AMR has with Roush Yates Engines will benefit her as well.
Deegan is eagerly looking forward to the new chapter of her life. She pointed out that the vision and the objectives of AMR align perfectly well. Deegan has felt welcome since day one with the team and believes that with Fords’ support, they will achieve some great things starting from the 2024 season.
“I am excited about the opportunity to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series, starting next year with AM Racing. From the start, the team has been nothing but great to work with, and the vision that Wade has for the team to accomplish aligns with my values perfectly. Through the support of Ford and the AM Racing team, I feel that we will achieve great things together,” Deegan said.
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Justin P Joy
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