NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace recently shared his thoughts on Hailie Deegan parting ways with the Xfinity team. Deegan was in her rookie season with AM Racing, piloting the #15 Ford.
Following the Chicago Street Race schedule, AM Racing officially announced Hailie Deegan’s departure from the #15 team, effective immediately. Moreover, the 22-year-old Deegan was also replaced by Team Penske’s Joey Logano from the Chicago Xfinity race, sparking rumors and speculations that AM Racing confirmed on Monday morning.
In light of this event, former NASCAR driver Wallace recently commented on Deegan’s split on his Coffee with Kenny conversations. He said:
“Hailie is in a man’s world. She’s trying to do the impossible and I admire her for that.” [1:05]
Wallace then continued the conversation by stating:
“Danica Patrick said it best. She said, “Kenny, there’s thousands of men race car drivers and Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell’s, the only ones to make it. And there ain’t but about one lady and it’s Hailie Deegan.” So it’s tough, all right. [2:26]
The 60-year-old Missouri native also elaborated on how drag racing is easier for a woman to break into an automotive sport despite it being dangerous, like the recent NHRA legend John Force’s crash in Virgina Motorsports Park.
Wallace, who was part of NASCAR racing for almost 25 years, claimed that stock-car racing is a completely different world. He added:
“So I’m not going to criticize one person standing out and being so brave like Hailie Deegan did. She stood out because she’s the only damn lady in the NASCAR higher ranks.”
However, Wallace believes the 2023 Most Popular Truck Series driver will survive, despite this setback.
“Our goals no longer align” – Hailie Deegan remarks on her split with AM Racing
Hailie Deegan was in her first full-time season in the Xfinity Series. However, her 2024 season ended sooner than expected, as AM Racing announced that they would part ways with their current #15 Ford driver.
Before her Xfinity stint, Deegan competed full-time in the Truck Series for ThorSport Racing and David Gilliland Racing. She also accumulated five top-tens in 69 races during her Truck Series career. However, she couldn’t make her mark in her rookie season in the Xfinity, hence the announcement.
Hailie Deegan wrote on her X handle:
“Beginning this season, I had a lot of excitement and hope in taking my next step in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. It’s something I’ve been working towards for years and always dreamt about. I worked hard to prepare for this season after the team pursued me to drive their car. Unfortunately, it has not turned out the way that I expected.
“There are always several reasons within a race team as to why things do or do not work, but sadly our goals no longer align. With that being said, myself and AM Racing will be parting ways.”
Deegan competed in 17 races for the 2024 Xfinity season with an average finish of 26.8. Her best finish this season was a P12 in Talladega with only four finishes in the top 20. The #15 car’s best finish was at the last Xfinity race in Chicago, where two-time Cup Series champion Logano replaced Deegan and finished P8.
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
