NASCAR Fans Say DEI Is Dying After Team Shockingly Demotes Struggling Female Driver

Is DEI fading away in NASCAR? Well …

No, not that DEI! Dale Earnhardt Incorporated died a long, long time ago. Sad. But, it is what it is. No, I'm talking about the other DEI. The 2024 version of it, which, frankly, is awful. The worst. 

Hailie Deegan, the most popular driver in the Xfinity Series and one of the most popular racers in the entire sport, was handed an apparent demotion earlier this week from her race team, AM Racing. Deegan, 22, is OUT of the car for Saturday's race in Chicago. 

Two-time NASCAR champ Joey Logano will instead drive Deegan's No. 15 Ford as the team looks for "feedback" to improve their performance. 

Hailie Deegan is out, for now

Whooooooof. Not great. I know that's the ultimate spin zone from president Wade Moore, but I ain't buying what he's selling. 

It's pretty obvious what's going on here … at least to me. Hailie Deegan has struggled like hell this season – like really, reallllllly bad – and the team is bringing in an established racer to see if it's her, the car, or both. 

Deegan, who has quickly worked her way up the NASCAR ranks, has never won a race. Not unless you count three wins in the ARCA West series. 

She has zero wins, zero top-5s AND zero top-10s in 18 career Xfinity starts. Her best finish this year was 12th at Talladega. She's finished 20th or worse in all but four races. If we're being honest, Hailie Deegan is best-known for using a slur in 2021 and nearly getting fired. But … that's another story. 

As for the on-the-track stuff, whatever number the nerds in analytics wanna cobble up, I promise you, it ain't good. Now, is it Deegan's fault? I have no clue. Seriously. I like Hailie Deegan. I think she's good for the sport. 

The numbers do back me up on that one, because she's been voted Most Popular Driver three years in a row between the Trucks and Xfinity Series. That's impressive. It's Earnhardt and Elliott stuff. There, I said it. 

BUT, the results ain't there. Never really have been. And, right on cue, some NASCAR fans are pointing that out today …

I mean, I could go on and on – and on and on and on! But, I won't. You get the picture. It's not pretty. Frankly, it's a wasteland in the Twitter streets right now regarding Hailie Deegan. 

You remember when people either loved or HATED!!!!! Danica Patrick? This is what we have here, only on steroids. Hailie Deegan is super popular, but she's never really done anything at all. She's also quickly risen up the NASCAR food chain – again, without really having the stats to back it up. 

So, naturally, fans cry foul and accuse NASCAR of making Hailie Deegan a DEI hire, which I get. I think it's more about her bringing in sponsors – follow the money, especially in NASCAR – but to each their own. 

Bottom line? Hailie's out, at least for now. And if Joey Logano happens to win – hell, they'd take a top-10 at this point – this weekend? It may be for good.