As Joey Logano blasted his way into the Cup Series playoffs, an Xfinity driver lost her chances. Hailie Deegan joined NASCAR’s second tier this year, looking to build on her impressive performance in Craftsman Truck.
However, by halfway through the year, Deegan’s fortunes had deteriorated, with only four top-20 results. This has eroded her team’s trust in her as well. So AM Racing chose the most recent Cup winner, Joey Logano, to replace her in Chicago. However, Logano’s Xfinity comeback will not be accompanied by a red carpet, as the Team Penske driver recently confirmed.
Logano is taking over Hailie Deegan’s role.
Team Penske set off on a slow start to the Cup Series this season. Joey Logano was nowhere near the front row, while his teammate Ryan Blaney had some narrow finishes. But Roger Penske started winning a few weeks ago, and Logano completed a trifecta victory at Nashville. Now Logano is all set to continue the glory in the Xfinity Series, where he last ran a race in 2019.
Given Logano’s 30 Xfinity wins, Roger Penske is willing to let the No. 22 go without aid. On a recent episode of The Dale Jr Download, Logano outlined the amount of Penske support he is getting to replace Hailie Deegan in one word: “None.” Then Logano added the minimal help that he did get: “The support…they helped me put the seat in, that’s good. They gave me a seat to use and I will use their gear (laughs)…but outside of that, we are going with what they got.”
Joey Logano has a shining chance to get an Xfinity win under his belt after so long. Besides the 30 trophies, he owns 36 poles and 95 top-fives in NASCAR’s second tier. Last year, he started 7th and finished 8th in the Cup Series’ first-ever Chicago Street Race. However, this shiny resume may feel like a slap on Hailie Deegan’s face as her team ditched her for Logano.
As Hailie Deegan’s fate hangs in the balance, Joey Logano is resuming his glorious streak. Replacing Deegan’s ride would also boost his Chicago efforts.
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