Hailie Deegan is currently without a ride for the 2023 season as TRICON Garage, formerly David Gilliland Racing, switched to Toyota after Kyle Busch Motorsports moved to Chevrolet. This has created an issue for Deegan and Ford.
The 21-year-old driver needs a seat but Ford has been unable to find one as of now. Deegan was linked to Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series but that option is gone after Cole Custer snagged a second seat.
However, there has been a major update about Deegan’s future in NASCAR that states which series she is more likely to compete in next season.
Related: Hailie Deegan’s possible options shrinking for 2023
Latest updates on Hailie Deegan’s future in NASCAR as Ford looks for a seat
Deegan is still looking for a seat as the NASCAR offseason continues but it will likely take some bigger moves to take place if the report below comes to fruition. Let’s dive into the latest on her future.
FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass went on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this week to discuss the latest on Deegan and Ford’s efforts to find her a ride for the 2023 season.
“I think they’re still looking. I want to say maybe they are leaning a little bit more towards (the NASCAR Truck Series) right now than (the NASCAR Xfinity Series), depending on what funding (Hailie Deegan) has. If you go Truck racing, it’s potentially easier to entice a team, if there’s no current Ford team, to potentially have a team switch. All you’re doing is changing body panels pretty much on a truck because all the engines are the same and everything. I still think there’s a lot of talks going on, I don’t think anything is settled just yet.”
Bob Pockrass on Hailie Deegan’s future in NASCAR
It appears that Deegan is more likely to return to the NASCAR Truck Series rather than move to the NASCAR Xfinity Series at this point. This would be a little surprising on the surface as there are more openings in the Xfinity Series.
While Stewart-Haas Racing is likely not an option anymore, teams like SS-Greenlight Racing and RSS Racing would present situations for Ford to slide her into a ride. However, neither might represent playoff opportunities.
The only Ford-backed team in the Truck Series is Front Row Motorsports with Zane Smith but the team would need to open a second entry. It could be possible but perhaps Pockrass’ idea of influencing an organization to switch manufacturers is smart.
A team like Niece Motorsports could switch to Ford and snag Deegan for the 2023 season. It may cause some trouble if Carson Hocevar needs to be with Chevrolet. Perhaps, the No. 9 truck for CR7 Motorsports could receive more support for Hocevar to join the team.
Speaking of CR7 Motorsports, maybe it is easier to entice a single-truck team to switch to Ford for extra support since there would only be two entries backed by the manufacturer in the series moving forward.
The idea of the Xfinity Series likely seems more appealing as it represents a jump into a new car that has more driver control but Ford needs to be careful about how they develop the California native due to its small pipeline.
Either way, Deegan’s future in NASCAR remains uncertain until Ford figures out where to place one of its few prospects for the 2023 season.