“I Don’t Need My Job Back”- Hailie Deegan’s Former Crew Chief Fires Shots at AM Racing With Shocking Claim

After a riveting performance in Nashville, Joey Logano got back the following weekend with a double run in Chicago. He entered an Xfinity race after a long time and notched an 8th-place finish. Yet his Xfinity comeback overshadowed a driver’s slumping career. Hailie Deegan was sidelined to make way for Logano, and then her team came down with a harsher announcement.

AM Racing and Deegan are done for the 2024 season and beyond. This split comes on the heels of the team’s decision to replace the No. 15 crew chief, which was done to boost performance. However, the former crew chief recently pointed fingers at the team for their lagging efforts.

Crew chief indicates that Hailie Deegan’s team is at fault

Joe Williams joined AM Racing as a crew chief in the 2022 off-season. He led driver Brett Moffitt to one top-five and ten top-ten finishes in 2023. Yet that is not all to his impressive resume – Williams also earned his first career Xfinity Series crew chief victory at SS GreenLight Racing with driver Cole Custer at Auto Club Speedway. Hence, when the team paired Williams with Hailie Deegan, it expected the duo to lead the fold.

However, in 2024, the No. 15 team lagged behind tremendously. Deegan was 28th in points, having barely scrapped the front row when the team took the decision. A month ago, Joe Williams had been ejected to revamp efforts, prompting fans to blame Deegan instead. But Williams revealed his emotions in a Facebook post, which indicated his rapport with Hailie Deegan instead of the team. “Yes I am no longer with AM. I want to thank Hailie Deegan for taking a chance on me this year. I wish her the best In the future and value our friendship.”

Sure enough, AM Racing ran out of patience with Hailie Deegan as well. After benching her for the Chicago Street Race, the team parted ways with her with a cold message. She also updated the situation: “There are several reasons within a race team as to why things do or do not work, but sadly our goals no longer align.”

In response to a fan’s cutting comment about bringing back the crew chief, Joe Williams firmly stated his opinion. He sided with Deegan and targeted AM Racing for the downfall. “I don’t need my job back. A lot more than driver Crew chief. Wasn’t her fault they made the change. Like the post said goals don’t align.” 

Given the Fords’ lagging performance this year, Williams’ claim may not be too far-fetched. Joey Logano is one of the top-performing drivers for Ford, hence his top-ten finish at Chicago is not anything surprising. Also, the Ford team uses a computer program that mimics real-world driving into data that helped Logano gauge the Xfinity race.

Now a passionate driver short, AM Racing has already moved on to its next No. 15 face.

Moving on barely after processing the break-up

Hailie Deegan must still be wrapping her head around her Xfinity misery. Yet her team, AM Racing, is moving fast – having fixed the new driver for their next few races. Josh Berry, currently driving the No. 4 for Stewart-Haas Racing, announced he will move into Wood Brothers Racing for the 2025 Cup season. For now, he has also secured an Xfinity seat – in Hailie Deegan’s stead at AM Racing.

After roping in Joey Logano, team president Wade Moore expressed his hopes about the second Cup driver. “We are excited to work with another Ford Performance Cup Driver, Josh (Berry), at Pocono Raceway on Saturday afternoon.” Berry, holding three prior Xfinity starts in Pocono, also released a statement about his joining. “I am really looking forward to being back in the Xfinity Series. I can’t thank everyone at AM Racing and Viva Tequila Seltzer enough for the opportunity.”

Hence, as Joey Logano and Josh Berry get extra seat time in Xfinity, Hailie Deegan is in misery. Hopefully, the talented road racer will find a seat soon.