The racing World witnessed a significant moment recently as Brian Degan, the legendary Freestyle Motocross Champion, spoke candidly about his daughter Haley’s dramatic career shift from Nascar to Open Wheel racing.

His comments revealed the complex emotions of a father watching his daughter embark on a challenging New Path, one that represents a complete departure from the Nascar environment where she previously competed.

Brian Degan told this to the fox broadcast team during Haley’s Indie Nxt debut at St Peters B. it’s exciting, you know, for her to take on a new challenge.

I know it’s a steep learning curve for her, but I am excited as a parent- you like to see that- and nervous, right.

It’s still our daughter going very fast and those are very small race cars, so it’s nerve-wracking, but it’s cool to see a new sport like this for her.

It’s exciting, you know, for her to take on a new challenge.

I know it’s a steep learning curve for her, but I’m excited as a parent- you like to see that- and nervous, right.

It’s still our, still our daughter going very fast in her very small race car, so it’s nerve-wracking, but it’s cool to see a new sport like this for her.

The racing Community has been buzzing about this dramatic career pivot.

Haley Degan once considered a promising Nascar Prospect, with a massive social media following has completely shifted gears.

After departing Nascar’s xinity series Midway through the 2024 season, she has now ventured into the technically demanding world of Open Wheel racing, a transition that few drivers attempt.

Haley Degan built her early reputation in dirt track and stock car racing.

She made history in the Nascar K and N Pro Series West by becoming the first woman to win two races in the series in 2018 and 2019.

This success created substantial expectations.

As she moved up the Nascar ladder by 2024, Degan had secured a coveted spot in Nascar’s Xfinity series with Am racing backed by Ford per performance.

The partnership seemed promising on paper, but the reality proved disappointing.

In 17 races, Degan failed to break into the top 10, with her best finish being 12th Place.

The partnership dissolved before The Season’s completion, leaving her career at a critical juncture.

What happened behind the scenes paints a more complicated picture than mere performance issues.

Reports indicated internal tensions within the team and fundamental disagreements about performance dire by summer 2024, the situation had deteriorated Beyond repair.

Once separated from Am racing, Degan faced a harsh reality about Nascar’s upper echelons.

Without substantial sponsor backing, securing another competitive Xfinity ride proved impossible.

This financial barrier ultimately pushed her toward an unexpected career change.

While discussing her departure from Nascar, Degan dropped what many consider a bombshell assessment of Nascar’s economic realities.

She said: not many opportunities come unless you got Deep Pockets.

No sir, this forword indictment- Deep Pockets as a prerequisite- highlighted a fundamental challenge in modern Motorsports.

Despite her name recognition and demonstrated talent in lower series, Degan found herself unable to secure competitive equipment without Multi-million dollar backing her.

Nascar statistics tell a sobering story.

In three full seasons in the truck series, she achieved just five top 10 finishes in 69 races.

Upon moving to the Xinity Series, results failed to improve significantly the financial realities of top level.

Nascar competition had effectively stalled a once-promising career.

This economic barrier ultimately pushed Degan toward a radical solution: abandoning stock car racing entirely and pivoting to Open Wheel competition by mid 2024.

She made a decision that shocked many Motorsports Observers, signing with Hmd Motorsports for the 2025 Indie Nxt season.

The transition to Open Wheel racing presented formidable challenges.

Remarkably, Degan had never even attended an indie car race before mid 2024.

To prepare, she participated in several formula Regional America’s Championship races toward the end of 2024, gaining crucial seat time and Open Wheel Machinery during the off season.

Her Indie Nxt debut at St Petersburg revealed just how steep the learning curve would be during practice sessions.

Degan finished last.

Qualifying proved equally challenging as she qualified at the back of her group more than 3 seconds off the pace of the leaders.

Race day, however, showed promising Improvement.

Starting from the back, Degan finished in 14th position, a respectable Midfield result.

She was just two spots behind fellow rookie Hmd Motorsports teammate, Sophia flers.

Most importantly, she completed all 45 laps and stayed on the lead lap, accomplishing her primary goal for the weekend.

I think it went fine.

My goal was to stay on the lead lap, get all the laps and not end up crashing or doing any damage to the car, using all the valuable time Degan explained after the race.

So I thought we accomplished what the goal was for myself this weekend.

Perhaps the most shocking aspect of Degan’s transition involves the physical demands of Open Wheel racing.

After completing her First full race distance, Degan provided an assessment that surprised many Nascar fans.

She said this is by far the hardest form of racing I’ve ever been a part of.

By hardest I mean physically.

It is very physically demanding.

I definitely need to be in the gym, which I have been in the last month, but I just need to keep on working hard this year, by far the hardest form of racing I’ve ever been a part of.

By like hardest I mean physically.

So it’s very physically demanding and, uh, definitely need to be in the gym as much as I can be, which I’ve been the last couple months.

But I think, just keeping working at it,

Yeah, I can see the Improvement myself.

The primary culprit: the absence of power steering, a standard feature in Nascar Vehicles.

Degan revealed that during initial testing the physical strain was so intense that her hands would fall off the steering wheel.

This required a focused physical training regimen to build the specific strength needed to control an open, wheeel car at racing speeds.

She elaborated on this challenge in an interview with front stretch.

The difference is wild, for sure.

It’s something you almost can’t explain to people.

They have to experience it for themselves.

You can have no power steering when you’re going slow and it’s fine, it’s not hard.

But the moment you start picking up pace and you have all that down force on you, the air pushing the car down, making it feel heavier in the wheel, that’s when it’s like the faster you try to go, the harder it is.

It just keeps getting harder and harder.

Uh, it’s, it’s something that, like you, almost can’t explain to people and they have to experience it for themselves, because you can have no power steering when you’re going slow

And it’s fine, it’s not hard.

But as the moment you start picking up pace and you have all that downforce on you and the air pushing the car down, making it feel heavier in the wheel, that’s when it so like.

The faster you try to go, the harder it is.

So it just it keeps getting harder hard.

This stark contrast highlights a fundamental difference between Nascar and Open Wheel competition.

Degan said in the past Nascar is not a super physical form of racing, so I’ve never really had to work on certain things like my physical strength.

I feel like I’m trying to get stronger in a hurry.

The Degan family’s racing Heritage runs deep, making their presence at St Petersburg particularly meaningful.

Fox reporter Jamie Little caught up with the Degan family in the Indie Nxt Paddock, capturing Brian’s mixed emotions of Pride and concern.

Good to see the Family Support.

Everybody came out to support Haley Degan guys.

The broadcast captured the entire Degan family watching Haley on track.

Later Haley acknowledged their support through an Instagram story.

Glad the Fam was able to make it out for my first Ed Ind dinks race.

It’s tough trying to make it to another races when the whole family is racing.

This family support represents a constant throughout Haley’s career transitions, from her early days, following her father’s Motocross footsteps, into dirt racing through her Nascar career and now into Open Wheel competition.

The Degan family’s racing DNA remains a central element of her story.

Degan has maintained realistic expectations throughout this transition.

Prior to the St Petersburg race, she outlined a conservative strategy focused on learning rather than immediate results.

I think it was a fun experience.

I had a blast.

I think my goal for this.

I didn’t have like this huge expectation, especially for this one, just because it’s a street course.

I don’t want to do anything dumb to where I hurt the car and lose out on track time.

So I kind of went into this weekend like Okay, like 95%, cautiously aggressive, learn as much as I can.

I think it was a. it’s a fun experience.

I had a blast.

I mean my goal for this weekend.

I didn’t have like this huge expectation, especially for this one, just cuz it’s a street course.

I don’t want to do anything dumb to where I hurt the car and lose out on track time.

So I kind of went through this weekend going okay, like 95% cautiously aggressive, learn as much as I can.

The street circuit at St Petersburg presented additional challenges for a driver with no prior Street course experience on St Petersburg.

She said St Petersburg, Pete, I know, is going to be a curveball for me just because I’ve never been on a street course.

I’ve never even been to this race before.

So I’m just trying to take what I can learn from here.

Looking ahead, Degan expressed greater confidence about the next race at Barber Motorsports Park on May 4th.

I’m really looking forward to Barber because I’ve been there before.

So going at this first race with a first time on a street course and first time even seeing this place, it was a lot taken in at once.

I think I’m really looking forward to Barber because I’ve been there before and so going at this place first race with a street, first time on Street course and first time even seeing this place- it was, it was a lodge taken at once.

The nearly 2-month break between races offers valuable development time.

Degan added, it’s nice now that after St Pete we get a little span of time where I can keep working on it and keep chipping at it.