Joey Logano's strong Chicago run could mean trouble for Hailie Deegan

If being replaced for Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Chicago wasn't the worst case scenario for Hailie Deegan, watching Joey Logano drive her car to an top-10 finish might just top it.

While true that Logano – a two-time Cup Series champion and future Hall of Famer – has more experience than Deegan, his eighth-place finish marked the best result of the year for AM Racing's No. 15 car.

Prior to Saturday, Deegan's best finish of the season was 12th at Talladega and her best finish on a non-drafting track was a 15th-place close at Las Vegas.

With Deegan's future with AM Racing reportedly shaky – the team reportedly doesn't know who will drive the No. 15 Ford next weekend at Pocono – seeing another driver (albeit a Cup Series champion) take over a car and immediately finish inside the top-10 could be the death knell for Deegan's 2024 season – and possibly her Xfinity Series career as a whole.

Strategy did play a role in Logano earning a top-10 finish on Saturday, but the veteran driver was consistent all afternoon. After qualifying 15th, he finished both Stage One and Stage Two in 13th place, capitalizing on track position in Stage Three for an ultimate eighth-place run.

While mechanical failures and personnel issues have plagued Deegan's stint with AM Racing this season, Logano proved that the car is at least fast enough to run inside the top-15 and overcome issues that may arise.

Whether or not Deegan drives in next Saturday's race at Pocono, she can't feel good about Logano's performance on Saturday. And if she's not behind the wheel in the Pocono mountains, it's very possible that she's run her last race for AM Racing as a whole.