On Thursday morning, Hailie Deegan teased that she would be making a "big racing announcement" on her YouTube channel that afternoon. Just a few hours later, diehard fans and insiders got the huge scoop: the 21-year-old Temecula, California native will be joining ThorSport for the 2023 NASCAR Truck Series season.
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In the nearly nine-minute video, Deegan takes a tour around the ThorSport facilities and chops it up with a few of the folks who she'll be working with next year. Exciting stuff!
Deegan's 2023 season will mark her third in the Truck Series. In 2021 and 2022, Deegan drove for David Gilliland Racing (now TRICON Garage), driving the No. 1 Ford. She has three top-10 finishes in 46 career starts, with her highest finish being a sixth-place showing at Talladega Superspeedway in 2022. Deegan will continue her partnership with Ford Performance, which she joined as part of its driver development program following the 2019 season.
"With 28 years in the Truck Series, we look forward to the partnership with Ford Performance in NASCAR," ThorSport owner Duke Thorson said in an official statement. "Our pursuit of wins and championships remains at the forefront of our objectives."
Mark Rushbrook, global director for Ford Performance Motorsports, added, "We're happy to welcome ThorSport back to our NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program. Duke has assembled one of the best organizations in the series with a driver lineup that is filled with youth and experience."
"We celebrated a championship together just a few years ago and know they have the potential to do it again in 2023."
Deegan, who is coming off her second win as Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and is the daughter of X-Games icon Brian Deegan, will be in seriously good company at ThorSport. Her teammates will include three-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton, 2021 champ Ben Rhodes, and Ty Majeski, who won two Truck races in 2022 and advanced to the Championship 4 for the first time in his career.
