The news of Hailie Deegan signing with AM Racing has implications not only for next year but in the future as well. Deegan has made the grind through the major series in NASCAR and her marketability has made her one of the most intriguing names in the sport. As the puzzle pieces are coming together, it seems that the signals are pointing to an opportunity with Stewart-Haas in the coming years.

AM Racing had made it known their plans to expand to a two car team where the ideal scenario would be to pair Deegan with former Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt. The organization has a technical alliance with Stewart Haas Racing and Ford. It is important to remember that when Deegan first made her debut in the Xfinity Series, it was with another SHR allied team, SS-Green Light Racing. In that equipment, she managed to obtain an impressive top 15 finish in the fall race at Las Vegas in 2022.

Even though Deegan herself isn’t signed with Stewart Haas, she’s following a similar pathway that Cole Custer has these last couple of years. Custer was also an SS-Green Light driver for a couple of starts and has utilized allied teams to help his career progression. It is entirely plausible that we see Deegan follow in the footsteps of Custer and teammate Riley Herbst and eventually break into the Cup Series with Rick Ware Racing which also has an alliance with SHR.

Deegan also benefits from having a relationship with Stewart by competing against him in SRX the last couple of years. It was Stewart himself who praised Deegan’s strong performance at Eldora in a backup car and finishing second. Stewart has also been shown to bring on dirt and late model racers into his organization such as Ryan Preece and now Josh Berry.

This all coupled with Deegan’s ability to attract sponsors, which has become an issue even for Kyle Busch, makes it even more plausible. If Deegan maintains Monster Energy as a sponsor with AM Racing, Stewart has worked with them before dating back to Kurt Busch and now with Riley Herbst.

Even though the Deegan signing has immediate implications for her Xfinity Series career, there is now a legitimate way she can get into the Cup Series. It’s now up to her to deliver the results required to necessitate this leap and showcase the promise she first showed when she came onto the scene in the K&N Pro Series and ARCA.

Image: AM Racing