Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Hailie Deegan Announcement | Thursday, October 5, 2023
AM Racing announced today that Hailie Deegan will be running a full-time schedule in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season in the No. 15 Ford Mustang. Here is a transcript from today’s program that took place at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
WADE MOORE, President, AM Racing – YOUR VISION HAS BEEN TO EXPAND IN THE XFINITY SERIES. WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? “I think anytime you’re able to have that conversation about a commitment to growth it’s an exciting thing, but whether you’re involved in this industry or your personal life, I think it’s a healthy conversation to talk about that too, but it’s really a privilege when you get to act upon it and that’s something that we get to do today. It’s attached directly to a new driver, but with that said, it’s so much more than just about the driver because this is a commitment to the folks back at the shop in Statesville. It’s a commitment to the families of those folks and our existing partners and our new partners, and it’s a commitment to the sport. With that said, it’s also a commitment to the growing relationships with these two gentlemen and who they represent in two historic names in Ford and Roush Yates Engines. Obviously, there’s a lot of work to be done. I like the trajectory of our team, but we’re open to the challenges. We’re very excited.”
HAILIE DEEGAN, Driver, No. 15 Ford Mustang – WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT AS A DRIVER GOING FULL-TIME XFINITY RACING NEXT YEAR? “I think this is just an opportunity of a lifetime. I would have probably never been able to race in the Xfinity Series full-time if it wasn’t for Wade and everybody at AM Racing and Ford sticking behind me. I’m really, really excited for these next couple of years.”
PAT DIMARCO, Ford Performance NASCAR Program and Analytics Manager – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO NOT ONLY CONTINUE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH HAILIE, BUT FOR YOUR COMPETITION EFFORTS WITH AM RACING? “It’s great with AM and Wade. I look at AM as a partner with the potential for a lot of growth. I liken it to what we’ve done with Front Row Motorsports. They started at the bottom and they worked their way up and every year they got better and better. They didn’t expect support, they earned the support from us and that’s what AM has done. Congratulations to Hailie. The first time I met her, I have twin daughters as Doug does, and they were about two years younger than Hailie at the time and I’m sitting there going, ‘Man, I’ve been driving with my daughters learning how to drive. How is this going to go?’ But Hailie’s growth both personally and on the racetrack over the years has been great. The success that she had at Vegas last year was phenomenal, so this is the next step and glad that she’s had this opportunity presented to her.”
DOUG YATES, President/CEO, Roush Yates Engines – “It’s an exciting day. Congratulations, Hailie and Wade. This is really exciting. I first met your dad, Brian, we were building his short course truck engines and now we’re able to power your career and looking forward to working together. It’s been a really solid first year with Wade and his team and we’re looking forward to building onto that and growing our Xfinity presence and looking forward to being a part of Hailie’s career. Everybody at Roush Yates and Ford Performance are excited about it.”
WADE MOORE CONTINUED – WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT ADDING HAILIE TO THE TEAM? “I think for Hailie, we didn’t have a close personal relationship prior to COTA of this year, so it’s been a learning experience understanding who she is as a person, which I think is kind of what fast-tracked this deal for us to get it done because when you meet Hailie and you spend time with her, you learn that she’s a very driven person. She’s a very passionate person. Her moral compass really does align not only with our families, but a lot of our partners. Obviously, in this sport anytime you’re talking about growth there are going to be growing pains that come with that. For me, I think we already have a head start in a sense that we’re very aligned on a lot of the way we view things and I think that in itself will help us overcome some of those challenges we’ll face, but it certainly has been exciting just getting to know her and understanding how driven she is and, quite frankly, at AM while we are a very young program, she’s also young as well in her career where it provides an opportunity for us to grow together. I think she’s gonna be a cornerstone of the success of AM when we look back in a couple of years and where we go, so I think being able to do this together and have something to prove as a group is what’s most exciting about it.”
HAILIE DEEGAN CONTINUED – WHAT WILL BE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE GOING FROM TRUCKS TO XFINITY? “I obviously had the one Xfinity race at Vegas and it went pretty well, but I think overall just learning the dynamics of the car and learning the mechanic side of it, and really just getting used to it. There are a lot of new tracks that I haven’t been to either in a while or going to be going there for the first time, so I think it’s definitely going to be a learning curve and I’m really glad that Wade’s on board of being able to grow together as a team and for me as a driver, so I think we’re going to accomplish a lot of great things together and just take it one step at a time.”
HAILIE DEEGAN BREAKOUT SESSION
HAILIE DEEGAN – THIS IS A NATURAL PROGRESSION, SO HOW DOES IT FEEL? “Honestly, it’s been such an eye-opening moment. From the start of this deal I thought it was too good to be true. I didn’t know if it was actually gonna happen because opportunities like these are kind of once-in-a-lifetime or once-in-a-career opportunities when it comes to NASCAR racing. Just to see everyone’s support at AM and everyone on the team side and Ford’s side, it’s been unreal. I know all of the assets that Ford is gonna be bringing to the team, plus the team being invested in me it’s gonna be a great opportunity and I see a lot to come out of it.”
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE ON TRACK, GOING FROM IMSA TO TRUCKS AND NOW XFINITY? “Yeah, for sure. I’d say that the IMSA stuff I hope I still get to race that at the beginning of the season because I enjoyed it so much and it’s so much fun, especially with all the Ford drivers. Hopefully, me and whoever my teammate is we get to do that and have some fun with it, but, overall, I think the progression has been pretty good. Obviously, I would like to keep going with it and keep learning and developing, and I think the Xfinity car is really gonna suit my style of driving.”
HOW DIFFERENT WILL IT BE GOING FROM TRUCKS TO XFINITY? “I think after talking to a lot of drivers who have been in the same position as me, going to Trucks and Xfinity versus ARCA and all that, I think there has been a lot of drivers say the Xfinity car will be a lot easier than the truck and it relates more to how ARCA was, so I think it should be pretty good because of that.”
THE OBVIOUS GOAL IS TO GET ONE MORE LEVEL UP. HOW DO YOU SEE THIS XFINITY PLAN GOING? “We’re definitely gonna be here for a few years. I think when it comes to the progression of everything and our goals, I’d say we’re very aligned on that – me and the team – and accomplishing what we want to. I think my goal is to obviously make the playoffs in my first year, so everyone is on board with that and we’re gonna try to get really good finishes as we go.”
ARE YOU EXCITED WITH THE SPEED THE TEAM SHOWED IN ITS FIRST YEAR IN XFINITY? “Yeah, for sure and I think with all the assets on the technical side that Ford is bringing to the team, it’s definitely gonna elevate it even more with their investment and everything they’re doing to help out on the technical side. I think there are a lot more aspects coming to the team next year and I’m really excited for that because it will definitely help out a lot.”
HOW WILL IT BE HAVING ROUSH YATES POWER UNDER THE HOOD? “It’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be a journey. It’s gonna be a learning curve. My first Xfinity race the car drove so different from what I was used to and what I was used to in trucks and it was just a great experience.”
HOW DID THIS DEAL COME TOGETHER? “Honestly, we were at COTA and my boyfriend was walking around. He does all of my filming and video editing and Wade ended up pulling him in the hauler and having a conversation with him. I had already gone to intros, so before driver intros he came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I just had this conversation. It seems to be a too good to be true scenario.’ I was like, ‘Man, that does sound like a really good opportunity. It must be too good to be true.’ So we started the conversations with AM and everything they had to offer from their side and it was truly one of those situations and one of those opportunity of a lifetime deals and opportunity of a career type deal. So, that’s where it all started and we just kept progressing from there.”
