Hailie Deegan will return to NASCAR, aiming for ARCA West title

Hailie Deegan is getting back behind the wheel of a stock car. She has signed a deal to compete for the 2026 ARCA Menards Series West championship with Bill McAnally Racing (BMR). She will pilot the No. 16 Chevrolet with sponsorship from NAPA and Monster Energy.

Although she has previous experience in NASCAR, Deegan spent the 2025 season competing full-time as an Indy NXT driver for HMD Motorsports. She ended the year 14th in the standings with a best finish of 11th at Laguna Seca.

Can't wait to see these on track, @HailieDeegan. 👊@NAPARacing | @MonsterEnergypic.twitter.com/SB7G3n3QaM

— Bill McAnally Racing (@BMR_NASCAR) January 21, 2026

“I couldn’t be more excited to reunite with Bill [McAnally] and the BMR team,” said Deegan. “I’ve been away from stock cars for a bit but am focused on coming back stronger and competing for wins and a championship. Having Columbia Bank and Monster Energy on board and working with NAPA Auto Care again is going to be a thrill, and our goal is to get them to victory lane multiple times this year.”

Added team owner Bill McAnally: “Having Hailie back on our team is incredibly special. We enjoyed working together several years ago and won some races. I see the commitment she has for competing at this level and we want to be part of her success. She has the knowledge of winning out West and we have a great chance to chase our 12th title with her and Mason Massey in the fold.”

Deegan is a proven winner in the lower levels of stock car racing, winning three ARCA West races between 2018 and 2019. She placed fifth and third in the standings in those two years, respectively. She also ran the full ARCA schedule in 2020 and while she went winless, she still placed third in the final standings. 

While her years in ARCA created high expectations, the step up into the national divisions proved difficult for Deegan. Between 2021 and 2023, Deegan competed full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, scoring five top tens in 69 career starts and placing as high as sixth. Deegan then moved up into the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2024 with AM Racing, but she did not find success there either.

Deegan and the team parted way halfway through the season after placing no higher than 12th after 17 races behind the wheel. That is when she made the switch to single seaters and secured a ride in Indy NXT.

But now, she's back and hoping for newfound success as she reunites with BMR. All three of her ARCA West wins came with the organization. 

Toni Breidinger leaves Tricon in new NASCAR Truck deal

RFK Racing brings back the No. 99, signs Corey LaJoie for the Daytona 500

All four Hendrick Cup drivers to share JR Motorsports car in 2026

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.