In 2019, Hailie Deegan shared a surprising story involving NASCAR driver Todd Gilliland that took place on the Mooresville Freeway. The California native, fresh off winning a race in the K&N Pro Series West for the second year in a row, encountered Gilliland unexpectedly on a public road, despite their racing careers only occasionally overlapping in the ARCA Menards Series.
During this incident, Deegan was driving when she noticed a Toyota closely driving alongside her and pinching her against the wall. Frustrated, she honked her horn before discovering the driver was none other than Gilliland himself. She had no idea it was him at first, but he recognized her immediately.
“One time, Todd Gilliland — I was getting on the freeway in Mooresville and all of a sudden this guy in this Toyota, he goes and he like pinches me in the wall and I was like so mad, laid on the horn, and then Todd pokes his head out the window and I was like, “Oh my God”. I had no idea it was him. He knew it was me,” Hailie Deegan said via The Athletic.
Jeff Gluck captured her reaction precisely.
“You were like, “Dude!”
To which Deegan replied,
“Yeah. I was mad.
Progression of Deegan’s Racing Career and Transition to New Teams
Following her 2019 successes, including finishing third in the K&N Pro Series West with two wins and eight top-five finishes, Hailie Deegan secured a full-time position for the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season. This move also marked a shift from Toyota to Ford Performance, signing with DGR-Crosley. She later competed in higher categories such as the NASCAR Truck Series and Xfinity Series but unexpectedly left her seat with AM Racing in 2024.
Currently, the 23-year-old driver is focused on racing full-time in the INDY NXT series for HMD Motorsports, aiming to continue developing her talent in open-wheel racing.
Brian Deegan Explains Why Hailie Selected Indy NXT Over F1 Academy
Brian Deegan, Hailie’s father and motocross legend, recently discussed her decision to compete in the Indy NXT series instead of the F1 Academy, a racing league launched by Formula 1 exclusively for female drivers in 2023. Although he initially encouraged her to explore the F1 Academy, Hailie chose to gain more open-wheel experience before making that leap.
“I really wanted her to go do the F1 Academy deal that they were doing with the girls there. I thought that was a cool opportunity. Maybe she will. I don’t know. She felt like she needed to get some more open-wheel seat time before she did that, which I agree,” he said via Racer.com
Current Challenges in Hailie Deegan’s Rookie Season with INDY NXT
Hailie Deegan’s first season in the Indy NXT series has been a challenging one, as she has yet to achieve a top-10 finish across nine starts. Her teammate Caio Collet has already secured a win at Road America, while Deegan finished two laps behind the leader at Iowa Speedway. At this point, she holds 19th place in the standings with 119 points.
Looking ahead, Hailie is preparing for the Grand Prix of Monterey Race 1, scheduled for July 26 in California, with coverage available on FS1 at 4:30 p.m. ET, where she hopes to improve her performance and gain valuable experience.
