Hailie Deegan is a NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie. Joey Logano is a two-time Cup Series champion. The two couldn’t be more different when it comes to their career achievements. Now their careers will forever be linked in the 2024 season after AM Racing announced the Team Penske driver will replace the rookie and pilot the No. 15 Ford Mustang for the upcoming Xfinity Chicago Street Race on July 6.
“The level of competition in the Xfinity Series is as competitive as it’s ever been,” team president Wade Moore said in a statement. “It is our goal at AM Racing to field a competitive race team through our technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and provide any of our drivers the best equipment and opportunity to be successful on track each weekend.
“With that being said, we haven’t had the success on track that we were hoping for in the first half of the season. When the opportunity to have Joey in the car at Chicago became a possibility, we felt we needed to take advantage of the knowledge and feedback that a two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion could provide to our team’s growth.
“We intend to take the feedback and data from the Chicago race weekend and apply it to building better race cars each week so AM Racing can have a stronger second half of the season.”
Hailie Deegan Has Struggled in Rookie Xfinity Series Season
There is no denying Hailie Deegan has had a rough first half of the 2024 campaign. Through 17 races, she has four top-20 finishes — her best a 12th at Talladega.
On the other end, the 22-year-old has recorded 11 results of 25th or worse. She’s 27th in points and has the lowest total of any driver who has started all races. She has an average finishing position of 26.8.
These numbers are in even starker contrast when you look at how Brett Moffitt performed in the same ride in 2023.
Through 17 races, the 2018 Truck Series champ had posted five top 10s, including a fourth-place finish on the same Chicago Street Course where Deegan is being replaced. For the season, he scored nine top 10s and had an average finishing position of 17.9
Is Deegan Done in Xfinity?
The AM Racing statement provided no indication as to whether this is a one-race deal or if it might even be permanent. But there’s likely a financial component to the decision and it’s related to the upcoming race through the streets of the Windy City.
There are 43 cars entered in the race around the 2.2-mile circuit that will feature 38 entries. The team wants to ensure that it qualifies for the event and Logano, who finished eighth in the inaugural Cup race in 2023, provides a much higher chance compared to the rookie, who has started 35th at COTA, 38th at Portland, and 37th at Sonoma.
If Logano runs well and confirms the No. 15 car is better than Deegan has shown through the first half of the season, it could be a tough decision for the team regarding the young driver’s future, but as officials have proven with their most-recent action, they’re not afraid of making those.
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