Deegan update

Listening to the Decker radio the last half of the race, the
whole team was pleased finishing in the top half of the standings(18th)
and bringing the car home in one piece. That got me thinking
about Deegan and her season and this is where I am going to set
the bar for her this year. Top half finish + car in good shape = Good Day.
An occassional top 5 or top 10 would be over the moon.
 
Hotrod said:
Listening to the Decker radio the last half of the race, the
whole team was pleased finishing in the top half of the standings(18th)
and bringing the car home in one piece. That got me thinking
about Deegan and her season and this is where I am going to set
the bar for her this year. Top half finish + car in good shape = Good Day.
An occassional top 5 or top 10 would be over the moon.
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She should be expected to have a similar year to Brett Moffitt’s 2023 season in the same equipment, which is basically what you described. Keep the car clean and finish about 15th and have some flashes in the top 10. Much less than that is a disappointment.
 
Nitro Dude said:
Daytona didn't go as planned for a lot of drivers. :D
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Yeah, I wonder how many have a game plan that works. Not many I bet can't control chaos. She likes to race that way, ride until it's hammer time the last stage if she is still rolling at that point. It's a good plan IMO, saves the car, curious if they try it at Atlanta.
 
StandOnIt said:
Yeah, I wonder how many have a game plan that works. Not many I bet can't control chaos. She likes to race that way, ride until it's hammer time the last stage if she is still rolling at that point. It's a good plan IMO, saves the car, curious if they try it at Atlanta.
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Everyone's talking about grip level and how much to expect Atlanta has lost this weekend, some say it will be as high as 20% since the reconfigure. I'm curious to see how much off throttle time if any they have. She should have a good car, Moffitt had a 6th and a 11th in the races last year. I think the key for her is to get a good q run in and start near the front and get away from the squirrels
 
sloggie said:
She's so approachable and friendly. I wish she had just a little more talent....
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Yep, she seems like a very nice young lady. It’s kind of cool watching here go through the ups and downs of her life inside and outside of racing. She looks like she really enjoys what she is doing and it shows in her upbeat attitude she has.
 
Moffitt is clearly superior but she brings the $$. Expect a significant drop off for the 25 this season.
 
Efisher131 said:
She should be expected to have a similar year to Brett Moffitt’s 2023 season in the same equipment, which is basically what you described. Keep the car clean and finish about 15th and have some flashes in the top 10. Much less than that is a disappointment.
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She will be hard pressed to equal what Moffitt did in the 25. He was much more experienced and proven.
 
Efisher131 said:
Respectable run today, top 15
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She hung out in the low 20s for the first two stages. She picked up five or six spots almost immediately at the start of stage 3 and stayed in the mid teens from there on out.

So one big gain and holding position before and after. At this point, holding position is a good thing.
 
FLRacingFan said:
She is going to win.
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A top-five would be a HUGE accomplishment.

This is exactly what I expected. The disparity between haves and have-nots is much greater in Xfinity so she's gonna beat drivers who are more skilled than her (unlike Trucks). That alone with keep her in the top-half of the field all year.
 
She’s a long way from the top half of the field.

The fast half.
 
BobbyFord said:
I don't know about that. The closer she gets to the top 10, the harder it's going to be to pass.
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Efisher131 said:
Nobody touching the Gibbs cars all year on downforce tracks, Austin Hill wins every plate race, and she won’t win a road course with SVG and Allmendinger in the field.
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Most likely true but I am going to try to will it into existence for my bold prediction.

Where there is delusion, there is hope.
 
StandOnIt said:
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I really love her enthusiasm and the feedback she gives her team. I also love the way she takes the time to thank her crew after a race. She reminds me a little of Alexis Dejoria when we upgraded her license from alcohol to nitro. Even though she is the daughter of a billionaire she was so excited and down to earth and she would take the time to hug and thank every crew member after each pass. Plus she brought donuts every morning and brought everyone a big bottle of Patron when we were finished. 😃
 
My fingers are still crossed but I was hoping to see at least one real flash of something by now. But a single 15th place finish in Vegas and an avg finish of 27+ is a slow start. Early still but needs some kinda eye of the tiger moment in the next few races.
 
26th in points, I thought moving up to Xfinity was going to make her a better driver? Didn't she make top 20 in points last year?
 
Like many drivers moving to a new level she probably needs time finding her footing. Fans would hope for a fast start but that’s probably not reality for most in a new car. A full year will tell us something meaningful. The first few races aren’t some kinda prophecy about her future. But she does need to show up over the next half dozen races and move that average needle to the top twenty.
 
RaceCritter said:
Like many drivers moving to a new level she probably needs time finding her footing. Fans would hope for a fast start but that’s probably not reality for most in a new car. A full year will tell us something meaningful. The first few races aren’t some kinda prophecy about her future. But she does need to show up over the next half dozen races and move that average needle to the top twenty.
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I was told that moving to Xfinity would make everything better for her. Her problem was trucks were too tough a series for her.
 
RaceCritter said:
Like many drivers moving to a new level she probably needs time finding her footing. Fans would hope for a fast start but that’s probably not reality for most in a new car. A full year will tell us something meaningful. The first few races aren’t some kinda prophecy about her future. But she does need to show up over the next half dozen races and move that average needle to the top twenty.
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SVG: 12th, 3rd, DNF, 6th, should’ve been 2nd

Jesse Love: 20th, 12th with the best car after running out of fuel, 17th, 2nd, 6th

Connor Zilisch: Pole at COTA in trucks and finished 4th

All drivers at a new level. Keep the excuses coming
 
RaceCritter said:
My fingers are still crossed but I was hoping to see at least one real flash of something by now. But a single 15th place finish in Vegas and an avg finish of 27+ is a slow start. Early still but needs some kinda eye of the tiger moment in the next few races.
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RaceCritter said:
Like many drivers moving to a new level she probably needs time finding her footing. Fans would hope for a fast start but that’s probably not reality for most in a new car. A full year will tell us something meaningful. The first few races aren’t some kinda prophecy about her future. But she does need to show up over the next half dozen races and move that average needle to the top twenty.
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I am thinking she might be better off moving up to Cup. That might fit her driving style a bit better. :cool:
 
RaceCritter said:
Like many drivers moving to a new level she probably needs time finding her footing. Fans would hope for a fast start but that’s probably not reality for most in a new car. A full year will tell us something meaningful. The first few races aren’t some kinda prophecy about her future. But she does need to show up over the next half dozen races and move that average needle to the top twenty.
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The entire "Hailie Deegan to Xfinity" movement was because the cars were more similar to the ARCA and West Series cars she produced decent results in.

Right now, I think you can put as much blame on the equipment as on Hailie. Even if she is a bottom-half driver, if her equipment was top-half or mid-tier, she'd be running better than this.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
The entire "Hailie Deegan to Xfinity" movement was because the cars were more similar to the ARCA and West Series cars she produced decent results in.

Right now, I think you can put as much blame on the equipment as on Hailie. Even if she is a bottom-half driver, if her equipment was top-half or mid-tier, she'd be running better than this.
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Joe Graf Jr says hello. He ran 15-20 in Gibbs equipment last year. It’s possible that running 25th in 15th place equipment is what’s going on here.
 
Efisher131 said:
Joe Graf Jr says hello. He ran 15-20 in Gibbs equipment last year. It’s possible that running 25th in 15th place equipment is what’s going on here.
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Oh, I think the writing is, and has been, on the wall with Hailie Deegan.

Fox hardly even mentions her on the races now.

Seems like the sport is looking more toward Breidinger short-term (and I'm not even so sure about that) and Avedisian, Robusto, and Hettinger long-term.
 
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