Kenny Wallace almost called Natalie Decker after hearing her meltdown at Dover over the radio. However, he also questioned why her schedule looks the way it does. Watkins Glen and then Dover, but what happened to consistency and tracks like Hickory, Tri-County, and Bowman Gray? What happened to, as Wallace said, “racing, racing, racing”? Wallace’s verdict cut straight to the heart of what went wrong. But veteran spotter, Freddie Kraft’s words were not as kind. He doesn’t seem interested in letting her off the hook.
“She’s blaming the race director. What the f— did he do? Or the series director like it’s not their fault. You picked this race to go to. You’re you you got out of line too soon on a restart. That’s a penalty. You sped on pit road. That’s a penalty,” Freddie Kraftpointed out.
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“And you’re going too slow on the racetrack. Yes, it’s a tough place, and maybe you shouldn’t have picked this race, but it’s not the race director’s fault…But like Kenny said, pick a different place to go where you can hide a little bit at least.”
He even went as far as to ask whether NASCAR should allow her to return to the NOAPS.
The man Decker appeared to be targeting, Wayne Auton, is not simply a faceless executive. Having spent over four decades working as a NASCAR official, he is widely regarded as one of the most experienced and respected figures. He became Truck Series director in the 1990s before transitioning to serve as Xfinity Series director for over a decade.
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And Decker’s remarks stood out because the driver community’s respect for Auton has been consistent, even from those who had been on the receiving end of his penalties.
Austin Cindric, a former Xfinity Series champion, said, “I really do love Wayne. He’s one of my favorite people that works at NASCAR…Wayne was there from start to finish for me, and wasn’t ever afraid of being honest with me.”
Christopher Bell called him an “amazing director.” And Justin Allgaier, who won the 2024 Xfinity championship, summed it up, saying, “I want to be able to call him up on stage and be a champion and call him up there…I’d love to be able to embarrass him a little bit on the stage after winning the championship because it’d be pretty special.”
But one cannot really dismiss Decker’s frustration. Things unravelled quickly at Dover as first Decker was penalised at the drop of the green flag for pulling out of line before the finish line. While serving that penalty on pit road, she received a second penalty for speeding.
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Already overwhelmed at one of NASCAR’s most technically demanding tracks, which is a one-mile concrete oval known for its steep 24-degree banking and zero margin for error, she was then black-flagged after just 81 laps for failing to maintain minimum speed – her breaking point.
The radio clip went viral within hours, even as her husband, Derek Lemke, took over driving duties shortly after.
“There’s just so many sh—y things that I could say right now, and I’m just trying to keep it together, about the f—— director of the series. I feel like a f—— failure if I do that,” Decker said over the radio. “There’s so many things I want to say, and I’m probably going to get f—— suspended. You have no idea. I’m sorry. Josh, I’m not going to come back to the Truck Series.”
For Decker, on track, the results have been disappointing. She had a 33rd-place finish at Daytona, another at Talladega, a DNF at Watkins Glen in the Truck after electrical issues cost her several seconds per lap, and now Dover.
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The slump isn’t limited to this year, as well. Decker has run 34 races in the Truck Series, alongside 15 races in the O’Reilly Series. However, with an average finish of 24.5 in the Truck Series and 29.7 in the O’Reilly Series, results have been far from successful – especially considering that her fifth-place finish at Daytona in 2020 had birthed considerable hope.
The pressure around Decker keeps growing
After the race, Natalie Decker opened up about just how badly the night affected her mentally and thanked fans who reached out.
“I got a penalty at the drop of the green flag. I pulled out of line before the finish line, when serving that penalty, I got another one for speeding on pit road. I am not going to lie, I am really disappointed in myself because after all those penalties mentally, I never recovered,” the 29-year-old racer shared on Instagram.
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Still, the criticism surrounding Decker did not suddenly begin at Dover. Ever since returning to NASCAR after giving birth to her son, she has been a divisive figure within parts of the garage and fan base alike.
Earlier in the season at Daytona, Decker drew backlash after posing with comedian Bert Kreischer while her firesuit was partially unzipped, with even some fellow female drivers criticising the moment online.
“They were saying it was inappropriate that I had my shirt off with Bert. And that it’s a disgrace to NASCAR and women in NASCAR… But the girl who was talking about it and like, saying these things, was saying the F word every other sentence. Tattoos, face piercings, all of them are okay. I don’t care that she has those things; I don’t care that she swears,”, Decker later said while defending herself.
She never apologised because she shouldn’t have. But for her critics, it only cemented the narrative that her career generates more noise off the track than results on it.
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Whether she truly walks away from the truck series remains uncertain, but her Dover breakdown once again showed how mentally exhausting life in NASCAR can become behind closed doors.
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