Hailie Deegan Bio
Hailie Rochelle Deegan, born July 18, 2001, is an American professional racing driver currently competing in the 2025 Indy NXT series with HMD Motorsports. She first rose to national attention in NASCAR’s developmental ladder, where she became the first female driver to win a race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. After climbing through the Truck Series and Xfinity Series, she transitioned to American open-wheel racing for the 2025 season.
Deegan is the daughter of Brian Deegan, the founder of Metal Mulisha and a multi-time X Games gold medalist in freestyle motocross. She grew up racing dirt bikes and off-road karts in Southern California before switching to stock cars as a teenager.
Early Life and Background
Hailie Deegan was born on July 18, 2001, in Temecula, California, where she spent most of her childhood. She began riding dirt bikes at age seven and started competing in short-course off-road racing the following year after receiving a Trophy Kart for her eighth birthday. In 2009, she won in her very first start in the SXS Stadium Series Trophy Kart class.
She quickly moved up the off-road ranks, racing in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Junior 1 Karts before winning the Junior 2 Karts championship in 2013, becoming the first female driver to claim a LOORRS class title. Deegan added a Modified Kart Regional Championship in 2015 and a Modified Kart National Championship in 2016, earning the Lucas Oil Off Road Driver of the Year honor that same season. She attended Rancho Christian High School in Temecula, where she received her diploma during pre-race ceremonies at Sonoma Raceway in 2018.
Path to NASCAR
Deegan began her transition to asphalt racing in 2016, driving legends cars for Rev Racing as part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. The following year, she received the NASCAR Diversity Young Racer award, made her late model debut in the CARS Super Late Model Tour, and was named to the 2017 NASCAR Next class, the youngest member and the only woman in the group. She also joined Toyota’s driver development program during this period.
On January 3, 2018, Deegan was announced as a full-time driver in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West for Bill McAnally Racing, with a part-time East Series schedule added. She immediately made an impact, scoring her first top-five finish at Orange Show Speedway and tying the record for the best K&N Pro Series finish by a woman with a runner-up at Roseburg. At the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, she became the first woman in NASCAR history to win a pole at the K&N level, then captured her breakthrough victory at Meridian Speedway in September 2018, becoming the first woman to win in the K&N Pro Series. She closed the year as the West Series Rookie of the Year.
Hailie Deegan Career
Early Career (2013-2017)
Deegan’s competitive career began in off-road karting, where she won her first race in 2009 and added a LOORRS Junior 2 Karts championship in 2013. She continued developing her skills in the Modified Kart divisions, winning regional and national titles in 2015 and 2016, and was named the 2016 Lucas Oil Off Road Driver of the Year.
By 2017, Deegan was racing full-time in the Pro Lite division of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series while also running selected late model events. That year, she was selected for the NASCAR Next class, marking the beginning of her formal path into stock car racing.
K&N Pro Series Breakthrough (2018-2019)
Running for Bill McAnally Racing in 2018, Deegan became a headline-maker in the K&N Pro Series West. She tied the all-time record for the best K&N finish by a woman at Roseburg, claimed the first pole by a woman at the K&N level in Las Vegas, and then won the NAPA Auto Parts Idaho 208 at Meridian Speedway in last-lap fashion. Her victory was only the second by a woman in a NASCAR touring series race, and she earned West Series Rookie of the Year honors.
Deegan returned to BMR in 2019 and won the K&N West season-opener at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas with another last-lap pass. She also branched into the ARCA Menards Series with Venturini Motorsports, scoring her first ARCA top-five finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park and ending the year third in the K&N West championship standings.
ARCA and Truck Series (2020-2021)
Switching to Ford at the end of 2019, Deegan signed a full-time ARCA Menards Series deal with DGR-Crosley. She opened the 2020 ARCA season with a runner-up finish at Daytona International Speedway, tying the best ARCA finish by a woman, and added a second-place run at the Illinois State Fairgrounds dirt race. She finished third in the final ARCA standings and earned Rookie of the Year.
Deegan made her NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series debut at Kansas Speedway in 2020, finishing 16th in DGR-Crosley’s No. 17 Ford, the best debut result by a woman in series history. Promoted to a full-time Truck Series ride in 2021 with David Gilliland Racing in the No. 1 Ford, she posted a top-ten finish at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, the first top-ten by a woman in Truck Series history outside of a superspeedway. She was voted the 2021 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Most Popular Driver.
Xfinity Series and AM Racing (2022-2024)
Deegan made her NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in October 2022 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, finishing 13th on the lead lap for SS-Green Light Racing, the best debut result by a woman in Xfinity Series history. On October 5, 2023, she signed a multi-year deal with AM Racing to drive the No. 15 Ford Mustang Dark Horse full-time in 2024.
The 2024 Xfinity campaign was a struggle for both Deegan and the team. AM Racing scored only four finishes of twentieth or better through seventeen races, with a best result of twelfth at Talladega Superspeedway. The team briefly replaced her with two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano for the Chicago street race, and on July 8, 2024, AM Racing and Deegan announced they would part ways.
HMD Motorsports Era (2025-Present)
On October 14, 2024, it was announced that Deegan would move to American open-wheel racing for the 2025 season, driving the No. 38 entry for HMD Motorsports in Indy NXT. The switch marked a fresh start in a new discipline after her NASCAR Xfinity Series tenure ended with AM Racing.
Deegan’s move to Indy NXT positions her at one of the traditional stepping stones toward the NTT IndyCar Series. Driving the No. 38 for HMD Motorsports, she joins a developmental series known for producing future Indianapolis 500 competitors.
Driving Style and Strengths
Deegan is widely recognized for her aggressive, win-at-all-costs approach on track, a style she has linked to her family’s motocross roots. All three of her K&N Pro Series West victories came after making contact with another car, including a last-lap spin of her own Bill McAnally Racing teammate Derek Kraus at Colorado National Speedway. She is also known for strong bump-drafting instincts on superspeedways and for fearlessly mixing it up with much more experienced competitors.
Notable Races and Milestones
Among Deegan’s signature moments are her 2018 K&N Pro Series West win at Meridian Speedway, the first by a woman in the series, her 2020 Truck Series debut at Kansas, which set the record for best debut by a woman in that series, and her 2022 Xfinity Series debut at Las Vegas, which produced the best debut result by a woman in Xfinity history. Her 2021 Truck Series Most Popular Driver Award also cemented her status as one of the most visible young stars in the sport.
Hailie Deegan Career Wins
Hailie Deegan is best known as a pioneer in NASCAR’s developmental ranks. She is the first woman to win a race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and one of only a handful of women to win a NASCAR touring series event.
K&N Pro Series West Highlights
Deegan scored three victories in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, all with Bill McAnally Racing. Her first came in September 2018 at Meridian Speedway, a last-lap pass that made her the first woman to win at the K&N Pro level. She added wins at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Colorado National Speedway in 2019, the latter a controversial last-lap maneuver that also netted a pole at Sonoma.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond her K&N Pro Series West success, Deegan captured multiple off-road karting titles, including a LOORRS Junior 2 Karts championship in 2013 and Modified Kart Regional and National Championships in 2015 and 2016. In 2021, she also finished second to Tony Stewart in her Superstar Racing Experience debut at Knoxville Raceway.
Hailie Deegan Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Hailie Deegan is the daughter of Brian Deegan, the founder of Metal Mulisha, a freestyle motocross legend, off-road racer, and multi-time X Games gold medalist. Her younger brother, Haiden Deegan, is a professional AMA supercross and motocross racer and the 2023 AMA SMX 250 champion, while her youngest brother, Hudson, has also competed in motocross.
Personal Life
Deegan became engaged to dirt track racer and former NASCAR driver Chase Cabre on October 27, 2023, after the two had been in a relationship for several years. Cabre previously served as her co-driver in the 2022 Mint 400 off-road race. Deegan splits her time between residences in California and Mooresville, North Carolina, the heart of NASCAR country.
2025 Season Performance
Hailie Deegan’s 2025 season represents a complete reset, as she moves from NASCAR stock cars to the Indy NXT open-wheel ladder driving the No. 38 for HMD Motorsports. The transition follows a difficult 2024 Xfinity Series campaign with AM Racing that ended in a mutual split in July.
Indy NXT is one of the most competitive developmental series in motorsports, and Deegan is expected to lean on the aggressive, late-braking style that defined her NASCAR career as she adapts to a new type of car. HMD Motorsports has a strong track record of developing future NTT IndyCar Series talent, giving Deegan a platform to build momentum in her new discipline.
As the season unfolds, key benchmarks will include her adaptation to road and street courses, her qualifying pace on ovals, and her ability to translate her bold driving style into consistent open-wheel results. A full season in Indy NXT would give Deegan a clear development runway heading into future decisions about an IndyCar step up.