Hailie Deegan claims career best results in IndyNXT at Laguna Seca
- RACERS
- Aug 1
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Returning to her home state of California, Hailie Deegan continued her rookie Indy NXT campaign with a very solid performance at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, claiming her two best results of the season so far with a P12 and P11 in the double-header event.
Hailie Deegan showed strong progress with a IndyNXT career-best results in both races at her home track in Laguna Seca.
Returning to her home state of California, Hailie Deegan continued her rookie Indy NXT campaign with a very solid performance at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, claiming her two best results of the season so far with a P12 and P11 in the double-header event, round 10 and 11 of the season.
Deegan came into the weekend riding a wave of progress after steadily improving throughout the season. The 23-year-old has approached her rookie year in the competitive Indy NXT series—IndyCar’s premier feeder category—with a focus on learning, consistency, and building mileage.
Having started her career in off-road and dirt racing, Deegan quickly made a name for herself in stock cars, where she became the first woman to win races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in 2018 and 2019, then moved into the ARCA Menards Series, where she finished third in the standings in 2020.
Her NASCAR progression continued with a full-time campaign in the Truck Series in 2021, with a best result of P6 and a one-off Xfinity debut in 2022. After three Truck seasons, she stepped up to the Xfinity Series full-time in 2024, while also making occasional appearances in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge—impressing with strong drives in her first sportscar outings.
At the end of 2024, Deegan made a surprise switch to single-seaters, debuting in Formula Regional Americas at Circuit of the Americas, where she scored a top ten in her first race. For 2025, she signed with HMD Motorsports for her first full season in Indy NXT—a major step, given the discipline shift and level of competition from North American and European open-wheel veterans.
Deegan has nevertheless embraced the steep learning curve with focus on consistently bringing the car home, steadily reducing her lap time gaps, and demonstrated growing confidence. Early results included a P14 on debut at St. Petersburg and two P16 finishes at Detroit and Gateway. Mid-Ohio and Iowa brought more encouraging pace, and the familiar surroundings of Laguna Seca—where she had previously raced in IMSA Pilot Challenge—offered an opportunity to build momentum.
In Friday’s first practice session, Deegan set a time of 1:17.165 across 17 laps, ending the session around 2.4 seconds off pace-setter and championship leader Dennis Hauger, in a solid start. She repeated a 11-lap run in Practice 2, posting a 1:17.699 for 17th fastest, setting her best time on her final run.
Saturday morning qualifying was initially delayed due to mist, but eventually got underway. Deegan was in Group 2, with grid positions for Race 1 determined by the fastest lap and Race 2 by the second-fastest. She made clear progress throughout the session: after an early 1:17.168, Deegan improved to 1:16.545, then broke into the 1:15s with a 1:15.835 and finally a 1:15.563—her best lap of the weekend to that point. Although 10th in her group, Group 2 proved quicker overall, and she would start Race 1 from P19.
The opening lap was chaotic. Collet, Hauger, and Pierson went three-wide into Turn 1, sparking multiple incidents behind. A collision collected Taylor, Roe, Correa, De Alba, and Missig. Deegan avoided the carnage with quick reactions, advancing seven positions to P12 by the time the caution was thrown.
At the restart on lap 6, Deegan settled into P14, staying clean and aiming to capitalize on others' mistakes. Though she initially lost positions to Murray and Koolen, she kept consistent pace, staying within 8 seconds of the cars ahead and dipping into the 1:17s by lap 11.
By lap 20, Deegan was in her rhythm, running consistent 1:16.9s. When Murray suffered a technical issue and slowed dramatically on lap 21, Deegan overtook him on the main straight and moved up to P13.
She kept her momentum through the closing laps; Tommy Smith had to pit late, allowing Deegan to advance to P12. She ended the race on a high note, clocking a 1:16.484 on the final lap—her fastest of the weekend so far. It was her best finish in Indy NXT to date, topping her previous P14 from the season opener in St. Petersburg.
Starting again from P19, Deegan hoped to build on her Race 1 performance. Fog caused again a delay, with the race eventually rescheduled to after the IndyCar main event. Once underway, the opening lap again delivered drama. A heavy collision between Bryce Aron, Liam Sceats, and Tommy Smith at Turn 3 brought out an early caution. Deegan, cautious on the opening lap, stayed clear of the incident and moved up to P16.
After the restart on lap 7, she gained further positions as both James Roe and Juan Manuel Correa encountered trouble. Roe pitted, and Deegan advanced to P14 before Correa recovered to reclaim the position.
Deegan remained composed, focusing on consistent pace. She improved her lap times steadily—from 1:18.2 to 1:17.5, then a 1:17.2 by lap 15.
Another incident brought out a second caution on lap 17 when Sceats went off into the barriers.
Deegan bunched up with the pack again, but trouble struck on the next restart: Jordan Missig came to a stop just before the green flag, triggering a chain reaction. Deegan made contact with Correa while avoiding the chaos and sustained front wing damage. She pitted on lap 23 for a new nosecone and rejoined in P13.
Despite going a lap down, further incidents worked in her favor: Lochie Hughes and teammate Dennis Hauger clashed into Turn 2, ending Hauger’s race. Myles Rowe also spun, and Deegan was now up to P11.
She held the position at the final restart with five laps to go, defending against Tommy Smith. While Salvador De Alba made contact with Rowe and suffered a puncture, Deegan hung on despite possible light damage, bringing the car home in P11—securing another career best.
Hailie Deegan’s homecoming at Laguna Seca yielded her best Indy NXT weekend yet: with a clean, confident drive to P12 in Race 1 and a smart run to P11 in a chaotic Race 2, she continues to show tangible progress in her rookie campaign.
Now with growing consistency and closer lap times to the front runners, Deegan will look to carry this momentum into the next round at Portland International Raceway on August 9–10, for the final road course event of the season.
Additional reporting: Linda Lam