Female NASCAR Drivers (Including Dale Earnhardt’s Granddaughter) Have Had It With Natalie Decker

Making it harder for other women in the sport?

There have been quite a few talented female drivers in NASCAR over the years, from Janet Guthrie, Shawna Robinson, and yes, Danica Patrick, who has the highest finish for a female in the NASCAR Cup Series.

And there are quite a few talented up-and-coming female drivers out there right now. If you watch the ARCA Series, you probably already know that Isabella Robusto is one of the most promising drivers in the series, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently pointed to Jade Avedisian as one of the drivers he would choose to start a new Craftsman Truck Series team with.

One of the best known female drivers in NASCAR these days, though is Natalie Decker – and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Decker made her first start in NASCAR in 2019, and ran most of the 2019 and 2020 seasons in the Truck Series, while also making a handful of starts in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Her best finish in the Truck Series came in 2019 when she finished 14th at Chicagoland Speedway, and she has a best finish in the O’Reilly series of 18th at Daytona in 2024.

But it’s not just her lack of success that’s made her a controversial figure in the sport: It’s some of the boneheaded decisions she makes on the track.

Despite her limited starts in NASCAR, Natalie has caused more than her fair share of crashes over the years. Who can forget this hilarious moment from Bristol a couple of years ago when she got wrecked by a tow truck pushing her back to the garage?

Even her spotter and crew chief were sick of her, with her spotter eventually just walking away:

“I’m completely f—ing lost right now. I don’t even know why I’m up here. She’s out, I’m taking my s— off. See you guys later.”

But the latest controversy involving Decker came this past weekend at Daytona during the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race. A massive crash caught up several drivers, including Sam Mayer. Decker was well behind the wreck, but instead of slowing down, she seemingly held the gas and ended up plowing right into the side of Mayer as he spun back up the track a full 16 seconds after the crash.

And after the crash, she blamed it on the wrecked car of Mayer for rolling back up the track, rather than herself for going full Leroy Jenkins and barreling into the wreck after three business days:

The commentators were as diplomatic as they could be when discussing the accident:

“You also have to be slowed down. When the caution comes out, cars are wrecking, there’s no reason to be at any rate of speed at that point.”

The wreck came at the end of a week when Decker had already made headlines for her behavior off the track. Of course there was the interview where she discussed her now-husband sliding into her DMs when she was only 14 years old, but aside from that, many in the NASCAR community weren’t happy with a photo she shared on Instagram of herself pulling down her firesuit to pose beside a shirtless Bert Kreischer.

View this post on Instagram

Decker has long been known for her modeling career and posting sexualized photos on social media, but as many in the comments pointed out, doing things like pulling down your firesuit for an Instagram photo is only making it harder for other women to be taken seriously in the sport.

And after the weekend, several female drivers have expressed their thoughts, seemingly frustrated at Decker for the image she’s giving women in the sport.

Karsyn Elledge is the granddaughter of Dale Earnhardt and a former driver herself, as well as currently co-hosting the Door Bumper Clear podcast for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media. And on Monday, the Earnhardt side came out as Elledge gave her unfiltered thoughts on Decker’s antics:

“Between the taking three business days to run into Sam Mayer and the multitude of things I saw on social last week … it’s honestly embarrassing. It’s embarrassing for the women who have worked hard to have a place in this sport, to be taken seriously, to be seen as an equal competitor.”

And Taylor Reimer, another female driver who’s working her way up in the ARCA Series, took to social media to share her thoughts, without mentioning Decker by name:

“I’m going to start off by saying I am by no means perfect. Nobody is. I got back into racing 5 years ago and since then I have learned a lot and I’m still learning everyday.

With that being said, as a woman in motorsports, I feel it’s my responsibility to be a role model for young and upcoming women in this sport. I was a Division I cheerleader in college, and my job was to represent the University at the highest level. Every move you make someone is watching. On and off the field. The same applies in racing. People are always watching: sponsors, teams, fans, and kids.

I work hard every day to earn respect in this sport. The only way that happens is through on track performance and that’s my main focus. I look forward to the day when a female driver in racing isn’t different, it’s expected.”

And Avedisian also shared Reimer’s post, adding that “[a]s a female in racing my goal in life is to carry myself with a high standard on and off the track.”

The problem is that Decker gets attention for her antics, and in NASCAR, attention equals sponsorship. It doesn’t really matter where she finishes if she can get her sponsor on television, so as long as she’s making headlines, she’s going to get people who are willing to pay for her to be in these races.

Decker isn’t running full-time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, or any series this year, but there’s no doubt that we’ll continue to see her making select appearances at the track this season.

Let’s just hope for the sake of all the hardworking women trying to make it in the sport, she makes better decisions going forward.The post Female NASCAR Drivers (Including Dale Earnhardt’s Granddaughter) Have Had It With Natalie Decker first appeared on Whiskey Riff.