Natalie Decker has not been in a race car for some time and that’s because she has a baby on the way. The 27-year-old is one of the most promising female drivers in NASCAR today with a best finish of P5 at Daytona in the Truck Series in 2020. She earned her best Xfinity Series finish earlier this season when she finished P18 at the same track driving for DGM Racing. However, the racing will have to take a back seat for now as there are more important things on her horizon.
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Decker is married to Derek Lemke, also a race car driver who competes part-time in the Truck Series. The couple will become parents in a few months and Decker recently shared an update about her baby. Despite being away from racing, the 27-year-old said that she is living out her dreams as she prepares to become a mother in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter).
If you would have told 14 year old Natalie that her future is married with a baby on the way and her life revolves around race cars she wouldn’t believe you… I AM LIVING OUT ALL OF MY DREAMS ☺️ pic.twitter.com/VsclxdFAhQ
— Natalie Decker (@NatalieRacing) September 23, 2024
About a week ago, she posted a picture on Instagram as she let fans know how much the baby has grown so far. “Baby Update!! I haven’t giving you much updates so… baby is the size of a large onion!! And yesterday morning the baby started kicking hard enough for Derek to even feel,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
The 27-year-old has every intention to get back to racing in the future and there’s no question that she would be heartily welcomed back by the racing community. It has been tough going for Decker who has acknowledged the difficulties of pregnancy and how it can make someone unwell often. But that does not mean that she hasn’t been enjoying the process so far.
She primarily made a name for herself in the ARCA Menards Series, especially in the 2018 season with Venturini Motorsports. That year, she earned two top-five and nine top-10 finishes to finish seventh in the championship. To this day, many believe that it is still her best season as a full-time race car driver.
Not many female drivers have been successful in NASCAR but Decker seems to have what it takes to become a race winner in the sport. With a good car under her, the 27-year-old would be able to get the job done based on her past results.
