Photo courtesy of Kyle Rivas | Getty Images
Hailie Deegan will join ThorSport Racing and drive the No. 13 Ford F-150 full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023, she announced on her YouTube channel Dec. 15. Her new crew chief will be Rich Lushes, who previously worked with Ben Rhodes, according to Fox Sports NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass.
THE NEWS IT OUT! Check out the YouTube video to see my race plans for 2023👉 https://t.co/kRsaqNBsHB
— Hailie Deegan (@HailieDeegan) December 15, 2022
In a corresponding move, ThorSport is switching manufacturers from Toyota to Ford Performance, which they ran from 2018-2020.
Welcome back @FordPerformance! #FordPerfomance // #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/p28py85uua
— ThorSport Racing (@ThorSportRacing) December 15, 2022
Deegan joins ThorSport after two seasons with David Gilliland Racing, which has since moved to Toyota and rebranded as TRICON Garage.
Ford had been looking for a spot for Deegan in the Truck and Xfinity Series for some time. That spot turned out to be an old friend in ThorSport, which won its third championship under the blue oval banner in 2019.
The 21-year-old Deegan replaces Christian Eckes, who has moved to McAnally Hilgemann Racing. Ty Majeski and former series champions Matt Crafton and Ben Rhodes are all returning. Majeski earned his first two Truck Series wins and made it to the Championship 4 last season, as did Rhodes.
In her two seasons with DGR, the Temecula, California native accumulated three top-10s, earning a career-best sixth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway Oct. 1. Deegan recently won the Truck Series’ Most Popular Driver Award for the second consecutive year.
