After making her way through the ranks of dirt and stock car racing, Hailie Deegan will focus on open-wheel racing in 2025, competing in the INDY NXT by Firestone with HMD Motorsports.

Deegan will drive the #38 for the entire 14-race calendar of INDY NXT, the INDYCAR development series. Deegan, 23, becomes the fifth confirmed driver for HMD Motorsports alongside teammates Caio Collet, Josh Pierson, Tommy Smith and Bryce Aron and will join her teammates at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test on the Indianapolis road course on Friday, October 18 Connect Motor Speedway.

“I am excited for the opportunity and look forward to working with a proven program at HMD Motorsports,” said Deegan. “I still have a lot to learn, but I’m ready to go. The team brings a wealth of knowledge for me to draw from and I’m looking forward to soaking up as much as I can before my racing debut next March in St. Petersburg.”

Although Deegan has not competed in an open wheel race yet, she has been working hard to prepare for the upcoming season. Working closely with Nathan Toney, former HMD Motorsports engineer and owner of Toney Driver Development, Deegan completed test sessions at various race tracks. Her first open-wheel racing experience will be at the final race of the Formula Regional Americas season at Circuit of the Americas later this month.

“Hailie, and especially the Deegan name, is big in motorsports and we welcome her to the HMD Motorsports family,” said HMD team president Mike Maurini. “Hailie has already been in the workshop and is taking the switch to open wheel racing seriously. She is looking for a place in the Indianapolis area to be with the team and is already working with her engineer. We want to make sure they and all other HMD Motorsports drivers are as ready as possible for every session on track.”

A native of Southern California, Deegan comes to the series with a varied racing resume. Her experience includes multiple championships including the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS), NASCAR K&N Pro Series, ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. She is the daughter of Brian Deegan, freestyle motocross legend and 16-time X Games medalist in motocross and rallying.

At LOORRS, Hailie Deegan won a class championship in 2013, a regional title in 2015 and a national championship in 2016 while being named Driver of the Year in the same season. Deegan competed in both the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West Championships in 2018 and 2019, earning a total of three wins and ten additional top-five finishes. Deegan was also the first female driver to win a race in the series. In 2019 and 2020, Deegan earned three podium finishes in the ARCA Menards Series.

Deegan’s progression continued as she made her NASCAR Truck Series debut in 2020. She achieved five top-10 finishes in three full seasons. In 2024 she moved up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, took part in a partial season and achieved a best result of 12th place.