Among the most interesting rookies of the upcoming Indy NXT season is stock car driver Hailie Deegan. The young talent has a wide range of racing background and experience, featuring both off-road and asphalt racing.
The highlights of her career so far can include becoming the first woman to win a NASCAR touring series race since 1980, as well as the best result in Xfinity Series history for a woman on her debut.
New challenges
Now she is embarking on a new, exciting journey as she transitions to open wheels racing, and more specifically Indy NXT, having signed a deal with HMD Motorsport. Deegan took part in a testing session held at Sebring on the 15th-16th of January, and while she placed at the bottom of the charts at the end of the day, she showed great signs of improvement.
That was evident even from a timings point of view. In fact, she managed to reduce her gap to session leader Dennis Hauger from the 2.9s at the end of the first morning session to only 1.8s by the end of the second day, closing up a whopping 1.1s in less than 24 hours.
The former Ford driver recounted her feelings from her latest testing session, expressing her excitement ahead of the actual beginning of the season:
“Yeah, it’s been so much fun. I’ve been really, really enjoying it. All the testing we’ve been getting and seat time. I feel like I’ve been learning so much. There is so much to learn.
“But for me, I’ve been having a blast doing it and just trying something new. It’s been a big change, but it’s been a fun one.”
A long journey ahead
While making such a huge machinery switch, Deegan will definitely need plenty of time in order to understand the different specifics and peculiarities of the chassis. HMD will provide her with that, and additionally with data from the wide pool of other drivers they have in 2025.
“When it comes to, I guess, my goals going into a weekend or going into a test, I’m looking to constantly progress. I’m looking to do better, be quicker, closer than I was previously. So far we’ve been doing that every single test, which is good.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to accomplish. The two-day tests really help a lot because you get to learn the track and everything about it the first day, and then you really get to dissect the footage, to really look at the data and see where you’re needing to improve more.”
“It just gives you more time. It’s not so rushed, even though it’s a lot more testing than I’m used to. But you’re not rushing at all when it’s a two-day test.”
Realistic goals
Deegan has signed a multi-year deal with the team owned by Henry Malukas. However, that certainty can’t take away the fact that 2025 will be a long learning curve for her.
“I know I’m probably not going to go out there and win my first race,” she said pragmatically.
“I’m realistic, I’m a very realistic person. Going out there, I haven’t really set any finishing goals because I want to see how I do at the first race. I have no clue how everyone races. I have no clue how many wrecks there are going to be or anything like that.
“So that’s something I really want to keep it broad going into the first race. Plus, there’s such a big gap after the first race. I really want to buckle down and figure out what my goals are going to be for the year after that,” she added, stressing the importance of the two months between the St. Petersburg round from the Grand Prix of Alabama in May.
Looking forward to ovals
With her NASCAR experience, Deegan reckons that ovals should be her best bet thinking about a strength point during her rookie season, compared to street or road courses which she’s never tried before.
“It’s still so new for me. And so going into it, I want to be competitive. I really want to see a big progression when I hit the ovals. Like I want to go to the ovals. That’s my goal.
“It is like, ‘okay, guys, we’re going to work towards it as long as we constantly progress on the road courses’. Then when we get to the ovals, that’s where I think my strong suit is going to be.
“Don’t quote me on it when we get there. But I’m thinking that’s where my strong suit is going to be. So hopefully it is.”
The right people
The young talent, who has also a significant social media presence, with 1.6M followers on Instagram, also discussed the importance of being surrounded by the right people and team in this challenge.
“It was a lot tougher the first couple of tests that were only one-day tests. But my engineer, Matt, he’s great to work with. My whole team of guys are all really young, like we’re all really around the same age. They’re awesome to get along with.
“I was super, super happy with that when I came to HMD. I’m racing for them, I got a good group of guys. I think having a good support group of people that you really get along with and that really trusts you is huge.”
Good support needed
“And so is really just doing your work beforehand, going into the weekend, being prepared for it and kind of seeing that like, ‘hey, okay, this is the game plan, if you lock up a tyre, like pushing those limits and kind of having that side of things’.”
The young American highlighted the importance of the patience shown by her team and especially her chief engineer.
“Like we did a lot of runs on old tyres, getting used to it and I struggled a little bit going out on new tyres, because like for me, the first lap on new tyres in stock cars is your fastest lap usually per second. And so that’s the best lap.
“That’s the best the car is going to feel. Then you come on these tyres and, which is so normal for open wheel racing, they take quite a few laps to come in, and they’re like straight ice when you get on new tyres.
“And so, I had to learn that side of things. I was like, okay guys, like bear with me on new tyres because this is all so new for me. I got to see like when they, when they feel good.
“Matt has done a really good job of coaching me through it. Like, ‘Okay, you can push a little bit harder. This lap. Okay. This should be the money lap for tyres. You get those next few laps. You need to nail it. Perfect’.
“We’ve been working together great on that side of things and constantly progressing,” she summed up, pleased with having found a great support network.
