The NASCAR landscape continues to evolve as teams and drivers make changes. The latest in the merry-go-round of musical drivers has Craftsman Truck Series driver Hailie Deegan moving up to the Xfinity Series next season to drive the number 15 AM Racing car in a multi year deal.
AM Racing is looking to expand their operation to a two car team.
In her third year as a Truck Series driver, Deegan has one previous start in an Xfinity car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Deegan spoke on making the move saying, “I think the conversations with everybody in the industry selling me (on) I need to get to Xfinity — people that have experienced it, people that have been a part of it, and drivers who are part of this series — so I think that’s something that has gone a long way in reassuring me that like, ‘OK, I think this is really the right step for me and direction of my career. You see a lot of people skip trucks and have success in Xfinity and the Cup Series, so I don’t think it’s something that you have to do, but obviously I’ve done trucks and it’s had its ups and downs. We’ve had some really good moments; we’ve had some really not-so-good moments. So I think just moving on from that and starting fresh in the Xfinity car and with this new team and building something really great from there.”
A three time ARCA Series winner, Deegan has yet to win a race in the Truck Series and has just five top 10’s with two races remaining in the 2023 season.
Global director Ford Performance Motorsports Mark Rushbook spoke on Deegan joining AM Racing saying, “we are excited to see Hailie continuing to advance her career by running full-time with AM Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024. Hailie works so hard on and off the track, and AM Racing will surround her with a great team to continue her development. From what we saw from Hailie in her Xfinity Series debut in Las Vegas last year, we look forward to some great results in 2024.”
Currently Brett Moffitt drives full time in the Xfinity Series for AM Racing and while no plans or announcements have been made, AM is looking forward to Moffitt returning to the ream in 2024.
AM Racing president Wade Moore noted, “the goal for us is to find a way to keep Brett within the program. As of right now, we don’t have anything to really report on that. That is still our intentions. He’s done such a fantastic job for us — not only as a driver, but as it pertains to just a teammate and a person. He’s truly a guy that is someone that you can build around and someone you’d like to keep in your pro not just from a talent standpoint. We love his family and Stephanie and Cooper, so certainly something we’re going to keep moving down the field. We have all the necessary assets in order to run a two-car program next year, so that is the intentions as we move forward.”
Speaking on Deegan he added, “I look at it from an emotional standpoint, because that’s really what I have to go on. She is, again, very committed, very passionate. She does have a lot to prove, you’re right. She hasn’t maybe lived up to even her own expectations. But with that, we still have a lot of room for growth, too. So I think that coincides very well. But from truly a performance standpoint, Ford believes in her, Ford is going to continue to stay behind her, and who am I, who are we as AM Racing to doubt whatever Mark Rushbrook or … anyone from that camp has to say when it comes to competition. So we’ll continue to follow their lead and work hand in hand with them. But again, we’re growing. She’s got a lot of room to grow. We’re going to do it together, and that’s why I think it’ll work.”