Deegan's kids carry on the family business in supercross and stock car racing

Brian Deegan has a hell of a lot going on.

His daughter Hailie Deegan returned to stock car racing in 2026 with a full-time ride in the ARCA Menard’s West Series. Driving for Bill McNally Racing this year, Hailie, 25, has been in the top five in championship points and won races at Madera Speedway and Kern Raceway along the way. Concurrently, Brian’s 20-year-old son Haiden Deegan is preparing for the 2027 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. Recently re-signed to a multi-year deal to compete for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, the 2025 and 2026 250SX West Supercross Championship winner will race full-time in the premier 450 classification come the drop of the starting gate at the 2027 season-opening Angel Stadium Supercross set for January 9.

A full-on action sports icon who earned 16 X Games medals, co-founded the Metal Mulisha and won the 1997 AMA 125cc West Region Supercross main event at the Los Angeles Coliseum during his spectacular career, Brian Deegan is front and center in everything his motor racing son and daughter do. This week, he and daughter Hailie competed in Cleetus McFarland's 2.4 Hours of LeMullets race at Freedom Factory in Tampa, Florida.

“It’s like a celebrity race where Hailie and I will be teammates," said Deegan of the event. "It’s a fun race we do once a year. The last time I won an airplane, and the time before that I won a Lamborghini. He gives away some cool prizes.”

Brian provided a quick status on his kids' latest moves and spoke to the challenges of being such a prolific motor racing family.

“Hailie is doing the ARCA West Series and then is trying to get back into the NASCAR scene,” explained Brian. “Haiden is obviously doing Supercross and getting ready for Anaheim next year. We’re always going at a pretty fast pace. It’s just how we’ve always been. It’s a lifestyle that we’ve had for the last 20 or 30 years, you know?

"I feel like we get a lot done and a lot accomplished. We enjoy sharing that time with our family, and we try and spend as much time together as possible. I feel like I was pretty motivated to get stuff done. I felt meeting [wife] Marissa and their family structure helped a lot with our direction. They influenced us and our family in putting family first, and we mixed that with racing and everything that we’ve grown up doing. I think the formula that we have now has worked.”

In addition to being a two-time 250SX West Supercross Championship winner, Deegan's son Haiden is also a two-time AMA Motocross 250cc champion.

Brian is pleased with the competitiveness, progress and straight up speed Hailie has been displaying in her stock car racing.

“I think it’s good,” he said. “Hailie started racing young when we were doing all the car and truck off-road racing. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure where all of that was going to go. Then she started winning races. She got into NASCAR. I feel like with her, it kind of goes at her pace, you know? I had to realize that my mentality where I want to push super hard and that every day is going be intense ... She does stuff her way. At some point I had to accept, ‘Okay, that’s her style and the way she wants to do it. As long as she’s happy, I’m good with it.’ At the end of the day racing is great, but family always comes first. That relationship needs to be first, no matter what.”

Deegan is pleased that Hailie is driving for owner Bill McNally and Bill McNally Racing in the 2026 ARCA Menard’s West Series.

“I think it was good to get her foot back in the door with Bill McAnally. We really like Bill. He’s just a really good, family-style guy, and I think that’s what Hailie really needed. He’s been real patient and works with her really well, and it has paid off. They’ve won some races this year and got back on track with winning. Bill has a good Truck team, so there is a good stepping stone there. I think she’s in a good space. She’s 25 now. That’s still young for NASCAR. In NASCAR, you’re just getting warmed up at 30.”

Deep down in Florida and currently all-in on his offseason training program, Haiden Deegan has been bashing out constant testing and training laps on the No. 38 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing YZ450F.

“Haiden is good down there,” explained Deegan. “I mean, he is still young. He’s still 20 years old and just getting into the 450 class. He won the last few rounds. Mentally, he knows he’s in the game. He’s working super hard right now. It’s a long game in Supercross and motocross. There is a lot of racing. The goal, which we’ve always made our goal, is it just line up and try to be at every gate drop at every race. It’s the way you learn.

"I always try to keep an open mindset and I think Haiden does a good job of that. Be open to learn from everyone. Don’t be like, ‘I know what I’m doing.’ I think Haiden is always open to learn, and I think that’s happening. I think you’ll see a new version of him come Anaheim because he’s got a good gameplan to work on the things he needs to work on. I think this off-season, he’ll be able to sharpen everything up and come out swinging. He’s a winner. He wants to win. But he’s patient, too. It took him two to three years in the Lites class to start winning championships, you know? It’s just his pace, which is fine. That pace has worked for him. It’s a good avenue what he is doing.

"And with the 450, that’s kind of a lot to get thrown into the deep end. He went straight from 250cc Supercross to two weeks later riding 450cc Outdoors. That’s a huge step. I don’t think a lot of people see that. He’s had to get used to a heavier bike, more power, the bike riding and handling different. I figured it would take him a good season to get in the swing of things. I feel like he made a big step in SMX. Supercross in 2027 will be another big step. I’m glad he did it that way. He got to learn what to work on. He could have just rode a Lites bike throughout the whole year and waited for 2027 Supercross, but I don’t think he would be nearly as good as he’s going to be going into Supercross.”