It's been a few weeks since the end of the NASCAR season and we still don't know what the future holds for Ford's star prospect, Hailie Deegan. While 2022 may have been a bit of a let down in terms of results for her, she still is showing promise and I think she still has a bright future ahead of her. But now we have to ask the question, does she belong in the Truck Series or the Xfinity Series in 2023? I think it really comes down to which series Ford can provide her with the best equipment in. The only thing that we know for certain is that she won't be back with David Gilliland Racing after their move back to Toyota and their rebranding to Tricon Garage. Stewart-Haas Racing doesn't seem to be an option because their second Xfinity car is going to Cole Custer, so where does she fit in? The fact that Ford has yet to find a 2023 home for the centerpiece of their driver development program should raise red flags about the program as a whole. I don't believe this is a Hailie Deegan problem, I believe that this is a Ford problem. Ford has almost no series driver development presence in the Truck and Xfinity Series and that is a problem that will eventually have downstream effects in the Cup Series. Let's discuss Deegan's future and how the uncertainty surrounding it speaks to Ford's driver development program.

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