Hailie Deegan joins ThorSport for 2023 Truck season

The move comes as ThorSport, which has fielded Toyotas the past two seasons, will return to partner with Ford Performance while continuing to run four fulltime Truck teams.

“With 28 years in the Truck Series, we look forward to the partnership with Ford Performance in NASCAR,” said team owner Duke Thorson. "Our pursuit of wins and championships remains at the forefront of our objectives.”

Deegan, a 21-year-old California native, will enter her third fulltime season in the Truck Series. She spent the past two seasons with David Gilliland Racing (now Tricon Garage).

In 46 career starts in the series, Deegan has three top-10 finishes. She finished a career-best sixth at Talladega Superspeedway this past season and was named the series’ most popular driver for the second consecutive year.

Deegan, the daughter of Motorcross and X-Games legend Brian Deegan, joined Ford Performance as part of its driver development program following the 2019 season. She has competed in a variety of disciplines, including the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and ARCA Menards Series, where she finished third in the series standings and won rookie of the year honors in 2020.

ThorSport's 2023 lineup

Returning to ThorSport next season and joining Deegan as a teammate will be three-time series champion Matt Crafton, 2021 series champion Ben Rhodes and Ty Majeski, who earned his first two Truck victories in 2022 and advanced to the Championship 4 for the first time.

“We’re happy to welcome ThorSport back to our NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Duke has assembled one of the best organizations in the series with a driver lineup that is filled with youth and experience.

“We celebrated a championship together just a few years ago and know they have the potential to do it again in 2023.”