Hailie Deegan Finishes Last in First INDY NXT Practice at St. Petersburg
Former NASCAR star Hailie Deegan experienced a challenging debut in the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone Championship. The 23-year-old driver, now competing full-time for HMD Motorsports, finished last in the first practice session at St. Petersburg on Friday.
Deegan’s fastest lap was significantly slower than the leader, Dennis Hauger, lagging by 4.7517 seconds. Her top speed was also notably lower. Even more concerning was that she was considerably slower than her fellow HMD Motorsports rookies, Sophia Floersch and Nikita Johnson.
Deegan had previously admitted to finding the INDY NXT cars difficult to drive. Commentator Jamie Little shared that Deegan mentioned the need to adjust her workout regime to build more muscle, and that her hands were struggling to grip the wheel. She’s only had three days of testing so is still learning the car.
The second practice session is scheduled for Saturday, March 1st, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am ET. While practice results don’t always paint a complete picture due to varying team strategies, Deegan’s performance highlights the adjustments she’s facing in transitioning to open-wheel racing.
