Hailie Deegan NASCAR Xfinity Series Circuit of the Americas Focused Health 250 Race Preview - AM Racing Team (2024)

AM Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series

Circuit of the Americas (COTA) | Focused Health 250

Fast Facts

No. 15 AM Racing Team:

Driver:Hailie Deegan

Primary Partner(s): Cody Jinks —Change The Game

Manufacturer: Ford Mustang

Crew Chief:Joe Williams Jr.

Primary Spotter: Michael Fisher

Chassis Intel:AMR Chassis No. X-929

Engine: Roush-Yates Engines

Notes of Interest:

Sophom*ore Journey: After a successful rookie campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last season with driver Brett Moffitt, AM Racing will embark on its sophom*ore journey in 2024 with driver Hailie Deegan for the entire 33-race tour, continuing with Saturday afternoon’s Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

The Statesville, N.C.-based team plans to expand its footprint in the NASCAR Xfinity Series to also run two cars throughout the season with its No. 25 AM Racing entry.

Future Focused: Last October, AM Racing announced that Hailie Deegan joined the family-owned operation to pilot the team’s No. 15 Ford Mustang in a multiyear agreement.

Deegan, a native of Temecula, Calif. has been a staple in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series for the past three seasons but will embrace her rookie season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as part of the Ford Performance program.

Deegan grew up racing off-road and on dirt but transitioned to competing on asphalt in 2016 to pursue a career in stock car racing. She began that transition in 2018 in the ARCA Menards Series West (previously NASCAR K&N Pro Series West), She became the first female driver to have won races in the West Series, doing so in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, respectively.

Deegan, 21, arrives at AM Racing after a stint driving for ThorSport Racing in 2023.

Change The Game: Earlier this week, AM Racing and Deegan announced a partnership with trailblazing independent musician and one of music’s most respected artists, Cody Jinks for Saturday afternoon’s Focused Health 250.

With their partnership, AM Racing, along with Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year candidate Hailie Deegan, will promote Jinks’ anticipated new album,Change The Game, on March 22 via his own label, Late August Records, which he recently launched in an unprecedented partnership with The Orchard.

Produced by Ryan Hewitt (Red Hot Chili Peppers, ZZ Top) and Joshua Thompson, Jinks’ longtime bassist, Change The Game marks a new chapter for Jinks both personally and professionally. He is now self-managed with a completely independent team.

A multi-platinum and award-winning artist, Jinks has sold over 2 million tickets, released ten studio albums, sold more than 2 million equivalent units and garnered more than 4 billion streams across platforms with over 1 billion streams on Spotify and 1.7 billion streams on Pandora, earning him a Pandora Radio Billions Award.

He was also named Music Row’s 2023 Independent Artist of the Year after receiving the most radio spin for an independent artist last year—his second time receiving the award — and will continue to tour extensively through this fall, including headline shows at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, Los Angeles’ Greek Theater and San Diego’s Rady Shell at Jacobs Park among many others.

Jinks will also join Luke Combs for select dates this year as part of his “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old” stadium tour.

Hailie Deegan NASCAR Xfinity Series Circuit of the Americas Stats: Saturday afternoon’s Focused Health 250 will mark Deegan’s debut at the 3.14-mile Texas road course.

Deegan, however, does own three NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series starts at the 20-turn road course.

Her track-best result occurred during the 2021 Toyota Tundra 225 when she steered to a 14th-place finish after starting 28th for TRICON Garage (formerly David Gilliland Racing).

Hailie Deegan NASCAR Xfinity Series Career Stats: In five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, Deegan has a career-best 13th-place finish after starting 20th for SS-GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in October 2022.

In addition to five Xfinity Series starts, she has achieved 70 ARCA Menards Series starts, including three wins and 69 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series starts to her credit.

AM Minute: It was a relatively quiet weekend for the Statesville, N.C.-based team.

Both the AM Racing Dirt and ARCA Menards Series divisions were off this past weekend, along with the NASCAR Xfinity Series enjoying their first-weekend breather of 2024.

Weather dependent, the AM Racing Dirt Division will be back in action at Friendship Speedway in Elkin, N.C.

The ARCA Menards Series is enjoying a short sabbatical before their season resumes action at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 20.

Thanks For Your Support: With 15 percent of the 2024 Xfinity Series complete, AM Racing and Hailie Deegan would like to thank their associate marketing partners for their support: AirBox, Flying Circle, Klutch Vodka, Mechanix Wear, Monster Energy Drink, Mobil 1, Viva Tequila Seltzer and WIX Filters.

Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway | Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 Race Recap: The fourth race of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series kicked off from Avondale, Ariz. on Saturday, March 9.

After matching her best qualifying result of the season on Saturday morning, Deegan started her No. 15 AirBox Ford Mustang from the 19th position. Fighting the balance on her Ford Mustang, Deegan hovered safely inside the top 25.

Adjustments from crew chief Joe Williams Jr. allowed the former ARCA Menards Series West winner to climb back into the top 20 in Stage 3, but Deegan was collected in a multi-car accident on Lap 146, ending her day with a frustrating 34th-place finish.

From the Pit Box:Industry veteran Joe Williams Jr. is Hailie Deegan’s crew chief.

He will be crew chief for his 136th NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday and his fourth at Circuit of the Americas.

In his previous 135 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, he has collected one win (Auto Club Speedway | February 2022), eight top-five and 30 top-10 finishes.

Follow on Social Media: For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing), or follow them on Instagram and X | Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.

For more on Hailie Deegan, please visit hailiedeegan.com, like her Facebook page (HailieDeegan4), or follow her on Instagram (@hailiedeegan), YouTube and X | Twitter (@hailiedeegan).

Hailie Deegan Quoteboard:

On Circuit of the Americas: “I am very optimistic about the weekend. I’m excited to get to the first of several road courses on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule. My AM Racing team has been bringing me fast Ford Mustangs so far this season, we just haven’t had very good luck.

“Hopefully, we can change the tune a little bit on Saturday and deliver a strong finish with our No. 15 Cody Jinks Change The Game Ford Mustang.”

On Cody Jinks Partnership: “I am beyond thrilled about this partnership with Cody Jinks this weekend at Circuit of the Americas. Cody’s energy and growing popularity will undoubtedly bring us some attention for the race this weekend.

“I am honored to represent him, promote his new record, and earn him a great finish with our No. 15 Cody Jinks —Change The GameFord Mustang on Saturday afternoon.”

Race Information:

The Focused Health 250 (46 laps | 156.86 miles) is the fifth of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2024 schedule. Practice will take place on Fri., March 22, 2024, from 4:30 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow, beginning at 5:00 p.m. The field will take the green flag the next afternoon, Sat., March 23, shortly after 4:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. ET) with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.

About AM Racing:

AM Racing is a multi-tiered, multi-faceted Motorsports program headquartered in Statesville, N.C.

Established in December 2015, AM Racing is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.

The family-owned team will compete in the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and various Dirt Modified events in its eighth year of competition.

The team has named Hailie Deegan, Christian Rose, and Austin Wayne Self as their primary drivers for the 2024 Xfinity, ARCA Menards Series and Dirt Modified seasons, respectively.

Hailie Deegan NASCAR Xfinity Series Circuit of the Americas Focused Health 250 Race Preview - AM Racing Team (2024)

FAQs

Who is Hailie Deegan driving for in 2024? ›

Deegan was signed to Ford's driver development program in December 2019. Her jump to the Xfinity Series for 2024 was announced last October in a multiyear deal with AM Racing after three seasons in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Has Hailie Deegan ever won a race? ›

She won three ARCA West Series races from 2018-2019. Toyota let her leave for Ford's driver development program, and she finished third in the 2020 ARCA national series standings driving for team owner David Gilliland. She ran in a Gilliland truck for 2021-22 and then for ThorSport in 2023.

How much does Hailie Deegan make a year? ›

Currently, she drives the #13 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. As per TheSportsHint, Deegan's net worth is estimated to be around $2 million. Being one of the most prominent drivers in the sport right now, she's reported to be annually earning $450,000 purely from her racing earnings.

Is Hailie Deegan going to Xfinity Series? ›

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,” Rushbrook said. “Hailie works so hard on and off the track, and AM Racing will surround her with a great team to continue her development.

Did Hailie Deegan get dropped? ›

Controversial NASCAR Xfinity series driver Hailie Deegan has parted ways from her AM Racing team midway through the season.

Who is the new girl in NASCAR? ›

Hailie Deegan competed in her rookie season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2021, driving the No. 1 David Gilliland Racing Ford where she spent two seasons. Currently, she drives the No. 15 Ford for AM Racing.

Is Natalie Decker racing in 2024? ›

Natalie Decker will attempt to qualify for her second Xfinity Series race of the 2024 season at Charlotte Motor Speedway, driving the No. 92 Chevrolet for DGM Racing. Decker will have sponsorship from Bikini Zone, available at Walmart.

Has a girl ever won a NASCAR race? ›

At least 134 women have qualified for and started a race in one of NASCAR's touring series, including 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series. As of April 2021, Shawna Robinson, Hailie Deegan, Manami Kobayashi, and Gracie Trotter remain the only women to have won a race in one of NASCAR's touring series.

Is Joey Logano replacing Hailie Deegan? ›

Logano will replace Hailie Deegan, who has run the entire season in the entry. It's currently unclear if Deegan will return to the No. 15 car after the Xfinity Series race at the Chicago Street Course. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series joined Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s podcast, The Dale Jr.

Does Hailie Deegan live in North Carolina? ›

Deegan currently splits time between her two residences in California and Mooresville, North Carolina.

How many DNFs does Hailie Deegan have? ›

Hailie Deegan NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Career Summary
SeasonRNKDNF
202117th3
202221st7
202319th4
Totals14
1 more row

Who owns AM Racing? ›

AM Racing is a professional, multi-tiered, multi-faceted Motorsports program headquartered in Statesville, N.C., managed by longtime Motorsports veteran Kevin Cywinski and team president Wade Moore. Established in December 2015 by entrepreneur Tim Self, the team is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.

Who is Hailie Deegan engaged to? ›

Her youngest brother Hudson has also competed in motocross. Deegan is in a relationship with dirt track racer and former NASCAR driver Chase Cabre. Cabre served as her co-driver in the 2022 Mint 400. On October 27, 2023, Deegan announced her engagement to Cabre in an Instagram post.

Where did Hailie Deegan move to? ›

The separation with AM Racing raises concerns about the trajectory of Deegan's career which began under Toyota's development program in 2017. She later moved to Ford in 2019—a decision that has been sharply criticized by NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick.

Are there any current female NASCAR drivers? ›

Relatively few women have contested a full season in any of NASCAR's touring series, although this is increasingly common. As for the 2022 season there are only 2 females running a full season Hailie Deegan and Toni Breidinger.

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