Hailie Deegan’s leap from NASCAR stock cars to the demanding world of Indy NXT has been anything but smooth. After years of pursuing success on ovals, Deegan now faces a new challenge: mastering the physical and technical demands of open-wheel racing.
To navigate this difficult transition, Deegan has turned to a trusted source of wisdom – 2024 Indy NXT race winner Jamie Chadwick, whose advice has become instrumental during Deegan’s adaptation to this new racing environment.
Hailie Deegan Faces Her Toughest Racing Challenge Yet
“Definitely, this is by far the hardest form of racing I’ve ever been a part of. By ‘hardest’, I mean physically, so, it’s very physically demanding,” Deegan said after her first race in St. Petersburg, where she came in 14th.
“I think the biggest thing for me is definitely the physical side. Getting stronger. I feel like I’m trying to get stronger in a hurry. Because, in the past, NASCAR is not a super physical form of racing. So, I’ve never really had to work on certain things like my physical strength. I’ve been working on that side of things,” she added.
After a rough weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, qualifying 19th and finishing 17th, Deegan knew she needed some advice. “My first ever Indy NXT race that I came to last year, I got to meet [Jamie Chadwick] and everything so she was very friendly, which was awesome, so I definitely felt comfortable reaching out to her and knew that she’s going to give me an honest answer,” Deegan shared.
Chadwick didn’t hold back. She gave Deegan real, practical tips that could help right away. “She gave me a list of stuff that they did to the car to help her out with that. So hopefully that helps out this weekend,” Deegan explained.
Hailie Deegan reached out to Jamie Chadwick, who won an Indy NXT race last year, to get some advice on physically handling the car and how to handle the corners. @IndyCarOnFOX pic.twitter.com/jD1k70DLAO
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 8, 2025
The big difference? NASCAR cars have power steering and aren’t as physically demanding. Indy NXT cars need serious upper body strength to handle, especially in fast corners with high downforce. This has forced Deegan to hit the gym harder than ever before.
Despite her struggles, Deegan isn’t expecting overnight success. “My goals are about progression, constantly getting better every single race, building my notebook, things like that. Learning about the technical side of the cars, the setups,” she said.
People in the racing world respect how Deegan isn’t hiding from her challenges. She’s honest about the struggle and working hard to improve. With help from Chadwick and her own determination, Deegan is slowly but surely finding her footing in this new racing world. It’s not about immediate resultsâit’s about building something that will last.