NBC SPORTS
Hailie Deegan and the AM Racing Xfinity Series team announced Monday that they have parted ways.
The 22-year-old Deegan joined the team this season for her rookie Xfinity campaign. The team had Joey Logano drive in her place this past weekend for the Chicago Street Race. He finished eighth, giving the team its best result of the year.
In a statement, Deegan wrote: “Beginning this season, I had a lot of excitement and hope in taking my next step in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. It’s something I’ve been working towards for years and always dreamt about. I worked hard to prepare for this season after the team pursued me to drive their car.
“Unfortunately, it has not turned out the way that I expected. There are always several reasons within a race team as to why things do or do not work, but sadly our goals no longer align.”
Deegan also stated that is focused on “getting back to being competitive. That is ALL that matters to me. I’m working as quick as possible to find the best opportunities to get back to the track.”
Deegan had modest success in the Craftsman Truck Series before moving to the Xfinity Series but told NBC Sports before this season that “the moment you start questioning stuff is the moment it starts falling apart.”
Deegan’s best finish this year was 12th at Talladega. She had 11 finishes of 25th or worse in 17 starts.
In her career, Deegan:
— Became the first woman to win a race in what is now the ARCA Menards West Series in 2018.
— Finished second in an ARCA Menards Series race in 2020, tying the record for best result in that series by a female.
— Scored the best debut by a female driver in both the Truck Series (2020) and Xfinity Series (2022).
In a statement, AM Racing said it had parted ways with Deegan. The team later announced that Josh Berry will drive the car this weekend at Pocono Raceway (3 p.m. ET Saturday on USA Network).
(Photo Credit: Twitter.com/FordPerformance)
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