Hailie Deegan has confirmed her NASCAR return with a full-time role in the stock-car racing series. After a year-long absence, the 24-year-old is set to drive the No. 16 Chevrolet for Bill McAnally Racing in the ARCA Menards Series West.
Deegan last competed for AM Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity (now O’Reilly Auto Parts) Series in 2024. However, after her abrupt end mid-season, the young sensation bagged an Indy NXT ride for HMD Motorsports. With the latter, Deegan was able to manage a best 14th-place finish throughout her full-time role. After her open-wheel run, the California native has announced her stock-car racing stint, where she made her ARCA debut.
In an official press release, Hailie Deegan said:
“I couldn’t be more excited to reunite with Bill [McAnally] and the BMR team,” Deegan said. “I’ve been away from stock cars for a bit but am focused on coming back stronger and competing for wins and a championship. Having Columbia Bank and Monster Energy on board and working with NAPA Auto Care again is going to be a thrill, and our goal is to get them to victory lane multiple times this year.”
Reflecting on Hailie Deegan’s return, the BMR owner said:
“Having Hailie back on our team is incredibly special. We enjoyed working together several years ago and won some races. I see the commitment she has for competing at this level and we want to be part of her success.”
Deegan is set to start her ARCA championship run on Saturday, February 28, at Kern Raceway.
Hailie Deegan hopes to boost her NASCAR return after Indy NXT stint
After her breakthrough stint in the open-wheel racing world, Hailie Deegan is hoping to boost her stock-car racing prowess with her past year’s experience. After a year-long hiatus from NASCAR, the female racing star claimed to use her learnings, especially in the road course events. In a YouTube video, she said:
“I did learn a lot from racing Indy NXT,” Deegan said in a YouTube video. “I feel like my road course skills have definitely got a lot better, at least in an Indy NXT car. But as for translating them in a stock car, I’m really excited to see that. So hopefully I’m even better on road courses in a stock car now. And I did learn a lot from that.”
Apart from her ARCA stint, Hailie Deegan is set to compete in select NASCAR Truck Series races for McAnally-Hilgermann Racing. However, the races and Truck number are yet to be decided, as per reports,
