After spending a year competing in the IndyCar feeder series Indy NXT, Hailie Deegan is making a comeback to NASCAR, gearing up to race in the 2026 ARCA Menards Series West Championship with Bill McAnally Racing. The 24-year-old driver, who transitioned unexpectedly to Indy NXT in 2025, is refocusing her efforts on stock car racing.
Prior to her move into open-wheel cars, Deegan’s experience was limited to dirt and stock car racing. She found the physical demands of Indy NXT cars, particularly the lack of power steering, to be a significant challenge that forced her to modify her training, concentrating heavily on upper-body strength.
Training Demands Vary Dramatically Between IndyCar and NASCAR
Deegan recently detailed how her fitness routine has changed since returning to NASCAR racing, emphasizing that the physical intensity she faced in IndyCar was greatly different from stock car competition. She described the extreme effort and supplementation needed to adapt to Indy NXT’s physical requirements.
“Now that I’m not training for the IndyCar stuff – that stuff is so physical. And I put on quite a bit of weight, trying to get stronger. The amount of creatine I was taking was absurd, trying to get as strong as I could as fast as I could. But now I’m doing the NASCAR stuff again, which is way less physical, like light years less physical. I don’t have to do IndyCar training anymore. So I’ve hit arms way less. I go back to my leg workouts, which I love, and cardio,” Deegan said. (1:40 onwards)
This indicates a return to her preferred training methods, shifting focus towards leg workouts and cardiovascular exercise rather than the intense upper-body strength conditioning required for open-wheel racing.
Upcoming 2026 ARCA Season Starts at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway
Deegan will kick off her 2026 ARCA Menards West Series campaign on February 28 at the Kern Raceway in Bakersfield, California, a track owned by NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick. This marks her first official competition in ARCA since her time in Indy NXT and reinforces her commitment to excelling in stock car racing once again.
Key Differences in Driving Technique Between IndyCar and Stock Cars
Reflecting on her experience racing in both disciplines, Deegan highlighted the contrast in driving styles required between the two series. She pointed out that handling an Indy NXT car involves a more precise approach to corners compared to stock cars.
“The biggest thing in the IndyCar was how far you drove it into the corner, how little brake you used, all of that,” said Deegan. “Like, it was just so different than what you do in a stock car. Like, you get all the way to the center of the corner, and then you lift in the Indy stuff, and you do your little lift there. Whereas the stock car stuff, you want to do everything early, at like the first third of the corner, before you get to the center. When you get to the center, you get back to the gas.”
This comparison underscores how Deegan’s racecraft had to evolve in IndyCar and how readjusting to stock car racing requires relearning car control strategies.
Performance Challenges in IndyCar and Stronger History in ARCA
During her Indy NXT tenure, Deegan struggled to find speed and usually qualified and finished towards the rear of fields. Despite these setbacks, her return to ARCA promises a more competitive outing, as she previously secured victories in this series with Bill McAnally Racing in 2018 and 2019. This background suggests she is likely to be a serious contender in the upcoming season.
Implications of Deegan’s Return on Her Racing Career
Hailie Deegan’s decision to leave behind the demanding physical training of open-wheel racing for a return to NASCAR highlights a strategic move to leverage her proven strengths in stock car racing. The shift back to ARCA Menards Series West allows her to compete in a familiar environment and focus on performance improvements where she has historically excelled.
Her 2026 campaign starting at Kern Raceway will be closely watched by fans and insiders, as it will indicate how well she readapts to stock car competition after the challenging year in Indy NXT. Given her past success with Bill McAnally Racing, Deegan’s comeback may signal a new chapter in her racing career with opportunities to build momentum toward higher NASCAR levels again.
