Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed his frustration over the Hailie Deegan situation during the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download, as the Xfintiy Series driver parted ways with AM Racing earlier this week.
Deegan had been struggling throughout the season, and her seat was filled by Joey Loganofor the Xfinity Series race on the Chicago Street Race. Prior, Deegan had failed to record a top-10 finish through 17 races, and was sitting P27 in the points standings.
Additionally, Deegan had also finished P20 or worse in eight consecutive starts.As she looks to rejuvenate her career elsewhere while the future remains murky, Earnhardt Jr. believes Deegan’s situation is the product of a larger issue in the NASCAR ecosystem.
“Hailie is a product of a very challenging system,” Earnhardt Jr. theorized. “This is the same for a lot of drivers that I’ve worked with, and a lot of drivers that I’ve seen, that work their way from, whether it be racing at Millbridge, to late-models, super-late-models, to Truck and Xfinity opportunities that eventually come along. A lot of times, whatever the financial support is for a driver, it is very difficult, wherever that financial support is coming from, whether it’s a sponsor, whether it’s family, whatever that support is, it’s still a lot of money. A huge commitment. It’s not forever. What happens is, and this is I believe somewhat similar for Hailie, is — in a perfect world, you would let Hailie, or any of these other drivers, run in that K&N Series, or run super-late-models, or run Trucks, a few more years. What happens is, there’s a bit of an urgency, to try and move up and take the very next available opportunity, at the next level, because the support financially is not forever, and you do not know when that finally dries up.
“For whatever reason, you lose that financial support. So every rung on the ladder that develops above you, whether it’s the Truck Series or Xfinity Series, no matter how good or bad that rung is, you grab it. I think a lot of times, drivers then ultimately end up in bad situations, that don’t pan out for them, and this is one of those scenarios where, I think that she felt like, ‘Man, I’ve really got to take this. This is being presented to me, and I’ve got to take it. It’s Xfinity, I think I’ll fit those cars better. I think I’ll do a better job in this series.’ She took it, when it might not have been the opportunity she should’ve chosen.”
“What other things she could’ve done, I do not know. Whether it had been staying in the Truck Series, but I see this with a lot of drivers that are trying their hardest to get to the very top, taking the next opportunity that presents itself at the next level, and trying to progress as quickly as possible, because you can’t sit here and fund a late-model program, or a super-late-model program, or a Truck program or a K&N program forever. They’re like, ‘Well, we’re spending all this money, let’s go spend it here,’ and they just end up in bad situations. It’s about timing. But it’s frustrating to see it.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes Hailie Deegan, AM Racing was simply the ‘wrong situation’
Evidently, Earnhardt Jr. believes Deegan was moved to the Xfintiy Series too quick, without first mastering her abilities in the lower-tier series. Looking back on it, Earnhardt Jr. believes she would’ve been better suited taking a different path over the last five years and change.
“You know, if you could’ve predicted or chosen Hailie’s path, you would’ve certainly sent her in a different direction, right? If you could’ve taken the last five years, and done something differently with Hailie’s career, you would’ve not put her on this path. You would’ve done it differently,” the two-time Daytona 500 winner added. “I can say that for a lot of different drivers, that I believe have the talent, but just ran into the wrong situation.”
In the end, the fit between AM Racing and Deegan simply wasn’t one that could’ve been successful for either side. Moving forward, Earnhardt Jr. hopes this isn’t the end of Deegan in NASCAR, and she’s able to find a team that more aligns with her goals.
“Hailie would probably be better off with a team that has some foundation underneath it, that’s been a team. That’s had these types of drivers come in. That knows what they need. Sort of, I don’t want to use the word coddle, but almost knows how to handle these inexperienced, young drivers, and how to protect them. … I think it’s best that they’re going their separate ways,” the NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee delineated. “I think AM should definitely try to tab some Josh Berry types, that can sort of help them say, ‘Hey man,’ and they need to listen to these drivers. ‘Hey, this is what’s wrong with your program. This is where you’re short. This is where your performance is lacking.’ They can build their program, and maybe go back to hiring a full-time driver that might complement them.
“And maybe Hailie can find herself a situation. She doesn’t need to upgrade so much, in terms of race teams, but there are some great teams out there that might be in line with her funding and support, that have been around awhile in the series, that do just this. They take on these kind of, sort of projects, and develop them. We’ll see what happens. I’d hate to see her just go elsewhere. I’d hate to see her give up on stock car racing altogether.”
While Hailie Deegan didn’t succeed thus far in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Dale Earnhardt Jr. still believes in her talent. Time will tell where her next opportunity comes, but it’d be a shame to see her wash out after a disappointing 2024.
