Hailie Deegan will move to IndyCar, compete in the Indy NXT Series

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Hailie Deegan said Monday she will move from NASCAR to IndyCar and compete in the Indy NXT Series next year with HMD Motorsports.

Deegan will drive the No. 38 entry for the full 14-race calendar of the series one step below IndyCar. She will be part of a five-driver team at HMD alongside Caio Collet, Josh Pierson, Tommy Smith, and Bryce Aron.

“I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to working with a proven program in HMD Motorsports,” Deegan said. “I have much to learn, but I am ready to go. The team brings a wealth of knowledge for me to pull from, and I look forward to soaking up as much of that as possible before my race debut next March in St. Petersburg.”

Deegan has never before competed in open-wheel racing. The 23-year-old has spent the last four years in NASCAR competing in both the Truck Series — where she made her debut at age 18 — and in the Xfinity Series. The native of Temecula, California, has never won at NASCAR’s national level.

Deegan and HMD Motorsports will test this week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She will work with Nathan Toney, former HMD Motorsports engineer and owner of Toney Driver Development.

Deegan has already completed test sessions at various circuits, the team said. She will gain her first open-wheel race experience later this month in the final race of the Formula Regional Americas season at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

“Hailie, and especially the Deegan name, are huge in motorsports, and we welcome them to the HMD Motorsports family,” team president Mike Maurini said. “Hailie has already been out to the shop and is taking the move to open-wheel racing seriously.”