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Natalie Marie Decker Lemke (born June 25, 1997) is an American racing driver. She competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving the Nos. 36 and 92 Chevrolet Camaros for DGM Racing. She was a 2015 NASCAR Drive for Diversity participant and 2016 Alan Kulwicki Driver Development competitor.[2][3] She is the cousin of Claire Decker and Paige Decker who have also competed in NASCAR.
| Natalie Decker Lemke | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Decker at Daytona International Speedway in 2019 | |||||||
| Born | Natalie Marie Decker[1] June 25, 1997 Eagle River, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||
| Achievements | Highest finishing female driver in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (5th, Daytona, 2020) 2021 Trans-Am Series SGT Class ProAm Challenge Champion | ||||||
| Awards | 2013 ARCA Midwest Tour Rookie of the Year | ||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 11 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Car no., team | Nos. 36/92 (DGM Racing) | ||||||
| Best finish | 53rd (2021) | ||||||
| First race | 2021 Super Start Batteries 188 (Daytona RC) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 United Rentals 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
| 32 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 5th (2020) | ||||||
| First race | 2019 NextEra Energy 250 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 (Martinsville) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Statistics current as of May 10, 2024. | |||||||
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Local and regional racing
Decker won 4 karting championships in two years.[4] She began racing in 4-cylinder modified stock cars as a 12-year-old;[5] in 2011 she moved up to the Super Stock class and won the 2012 class championship at Marshfield Motor Speedway.[6][5] Decker began racing in the ARCA Midwest Tour and took the 2013 Rookie of the Year by finishing third in points.[7] She also took third that season in a three-race Midwest Truck Series at Madison International Speedway.[7] In 2014, she won seven limited late model features and two super late model features.[5] She was added to the Rev Racing team in 2015 as she was named to the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.[8]
NASCAR and ARCA
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She was one of seven drivers to compete in the 2016 Alan Kulwicki Driver Development program; she was awarded $7,777.[9] Decker joined her cousins Paige Decker and Claire Decker in attempting to make the field for the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway on April 2, 2016.[2] Decker was 38th fastest in qualifying and her MAKE Motorsports entry did not make the field.[3]
In 2017, it was announced that she would drive in three ARCA races for Venturini Motorsports (Elko, Toledo, and Pocono).[10] Decker made her ARCA debut at Toledo Speedway. After spending much of the race in the Top 10, she finished eleventh on the lead lap.[11]
Venturini later announced that they had signed Decker to drive the full 2018 ARCA schedule.[12] Decker began the season by winning the pole at the season opening race at Daytona;[13] she would finish fifth in a crash-filled race.[14] Later on in the season she was injured via hernia, and was forced to start the race and have Brennan Poole jump in, in which he would finish the race in 8th. She finished the season 7th in point standings, which was last among drivers who competed in every race.
On November 30, 2018, DGR-Crosley announced plans for Decker to run a partial Truck Series schedule for the team in the 2019 season, along with some ARCA and K&N Pro Series events.[15][16]
Decker's Truck series debut at Daytona saw her No. 54 Toyota cut a left front tire and rupture an oil line, setting the truck on fire on the first lap.[17] At Kentucky Speedway in July, Decker was involved in an on-track incident with Spencer Boyd, eliminating both drivers from the race. Later, in the truck garage, Decker took Boyd’s hat off his head and slammed it on the ground before being verbally warned by a NASCAR official stating "that's enough". She was escorted away by her team.[18]
Decker signed with Niece Motorsports for the 2020 season. On February 14, 2020, she finished fifth at Daytona, becoming the highest-finishing female driver in Truck Series history.[19] She missed the Pocono race after being hospitalized for bile duct complications related to her gall bladder surgery in December 2019.[20] On September 25, Decker was not medically cleared to race at Las Vegas after experiencing a high heart rate and high blood pressure; because her truck had cleared inspection and was placed on the starting grid, she was credited with a last-place finish in the race.[21] Decker later pinpointed high blood pressure as the cause for fatigue, but with a deeper cause undetermined, she also missed the following race at Talladega Superspeedway, where Kaz Grala took the seat.[22]
On February 5, 2021, it was announced that Decker would make her debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021, driving the No. 23 for RSS Racing/Reaume Brothers Racing in at least five races beginning at the Daytona Road Course with sponsorship from Red Street Records, who will highlight the musicians they work with on the car, Jason Crabb being one of them.[23] She remained in the No. 23 after Our Motorsports assumed operations.[24]
In 2022, she attempted the Daytona season-opener with the No. 33 for Reaume Brothers Racing, but failed to qualify. However, she did qualify for the April Martinsville race, driving the No. 28 RSS Racing Ford in a collaboration with RBR. She also failed to qualify for the spring race at Talladega driving the No. 13 for MBM Motorsports. Decker was also going to run the race at Daytona in August driving the No. 5 for B. J. McLeod Motorsports. However, her sponsor, Diesel Beverages, was not approved in time for the race. Diesel Beverages is a hemp/CBD product, which NASCAR had to examine if it would be approved as a sponsor. She would be replaced in the car by Patrick Emerling. Decker stated that she hoped to run a different race later in the season if the sponsor is approved.[25]
On February 8, 2023, it was announced that Decker would drive part-time for Emerling-Gase Motorsports in the Xfinity Series and the ARCA Menards Series in their No. 53 car in both series. It would be her first ARCA start since 2020 as well as EGM's first time fielding an entry in ARCA.[26]
On February 7, 2024, DGM Racing announced that Decker would drive their No. 36 car in the Xfinity Series season-opener at Daytona.[27] Decker was also going to drive the same car at Talladega in April, but like at Daytona in August 2022, had a sponsor that was not approved by NASCAR. As a result, DGM withdrew the No. 36 car and she did not get to run that race.[28] She would make another start for the team at Charlotte in May in their No. 92 car.[29]
Other racing
On January 30 and 31, 2018, Decker tested a LMP3 sports car at Sebring International Raceway. The car was fielded by longtime Decker family friend Tony Ave.[30] Ave wanted her to drive his car after he was impressed by her performance in the 2017 Road America ARCA race, where she finished 7th, which was her best finish of the season. In 2019, Decker is scheduled to race in five events for Ave's Trans Am team. She finished ninth in his TA car at Sebring International Raceway.[31]
Decker was among the preliminary participants for the 2019 W Series, after making the initial cut from 55 drivers to 28 she did not survive the next round of cuts.[32] Decker was scheduled to make her Trans-Am SGT class debut at Road Atlanta with Ave Motorsports in November 2020, but was forced to miss the race after testing positive for COVID-19.[33]
In 2021, Decker raced several times for Ave in the Trans-Am Series. She took the SGT pole position in March at the Charlotte Roval and finished second in the race.[34] She also finished second at Watkins Glen.[35] She won the race at the Circuit of the Americas and won the SGT ProAm Challenge Title.[36]
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Decker is the cousin of sisters Paige and Claire Decker (daughters of Allen Decker).[2] Her father is Chuck Decker, the former owner of the Eagle River Derby Track, which hosts the World Championship Snowmobile Derby. The Track was sold in August 2018 and is now called the World Championship Derby Complex.[37]
The Decker family was prominent in snowmobile racing in the 1970s and 1980s;[7] four Decker brothers raced snowmobiles including Allen Decker, a factory rider for Bombardier (and onetime teammate to Jacques Villeneuve), and Natalie's father Chuck, who won the 1987 World Championship Derby race at Eagle River.[38][7] The Deckers also raced snowmobiles alongside the family of Danica Patrick.[7] Sue Decker, Natalie's aunt, introduced Patrick's parents.[7]
On September 29, 2019, Decker revealed that she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, which she was first diagnosed with at the age of two.[39]
In December 2022, Decker got engaged to fellow NASCAR driver Derek Lemke (who would make his Truck Series debut for Reaume Brothers Racing in 2023).[40] Decker and Lemke got married on New Year's Eve in 2023.
On August 14, 2024 Decker Lemke announced that she is expecting her first baby.[41]
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NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Xfinity Series
Camping World Truck Series
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | NCWTC | Pts | Ref |
| 2016 | MAKE Motorsports | 14 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | MAR DNQ |
KAN | DOV | CLT | TEX | IOW | GTW | KEN | ELD | POC | BRI | MCH | MSP | CHI | NHA | LVS | TAL | MAR | TEX | PHO | HOM | 118th | - | [46] |
| 2019 | DGR-Crosley | 54 | Toyota | DAY 32 |
ATL 24 |
LVS 13 |
MAR | TEX | DOV 17 |
KAN 25 |
CLT 31 |
TEX 22 |
IOW 17 |
GTW 27 |
CHI 14 |
KEN 27 |
POC 16 |
ELD | MCH 27 |
BRI 25 |
MSP | LVS 25 |
TAL 16 |
MAR 22 |
PHO 22 |
HOM 20 |
19th | 281 | [47] |
| 2020 | Niece Motorsports | 44 | Chevy | DAY 5 |
LVS 21 |
CLT 27 |
ATL | HOM | POC | KEN 29 |
TEX 35 |
KAN 21 |
KAN 35 |
MCH | DAY 20 |
DOV | GTW 28 |
DAR | RCH 34 |
BRI 29 |
LVS 36 |
TAL | KAN | TEX 30 |
MAR 27 |
PHO | 33rd | 153 | [48] |
| 2022 | Reaume Brothers Racing | 43 | Toyota | DAY | LVS | ATL | COA | MAR | BRI | DAR | KAN | TEX | CLT | GTW | SON | KNX | NSH | MOH | POC | IRP | RCH | KAN | BRI | TAL DNQ |
HOM | PHO | N/A | 0 | [49] |
K&N Pro Series East
ARCA Menards Series
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| ARCA Menards Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | AMSC | Pts | Ref | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Venturini Motorsports | 25 | Toyota | DAY | NSH | SLM | TAL | TOL 11 |
ELK 13 |
POC 27 |
MCH | MAD | IOW | IRP | POC 10 |
WIN | ISF | ROA 7 |
DSF | SLM | CHI | KAN 12 |
23rd | 1150 | [51] | |||||||||||||||||||
| 55 | KEN 12 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 25 | DAY 5 |
NSH 11 |
SLM 17 |
TAL 28 |
TOL 7 |
CLT 15 |
POC 8 |
MCH 15 |
MAD 6 |
GTW 15 |
CHI 12 |
IOW 16 |
ELK 5 |
POC 15 |
ISF 10 |
BLN 10 |
DSF 12 |
SLM 8 |
IRP 16 |
KAN 6 |
7th | 4220 | [52] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | DGR-Crosley | 54 | Toyota | DAY 6 |
FIF | SLM | TAL 23 |
NSH | TOL | CLT | POC | MCH | MAD | GTW | CHI | ELK | IOW | POC | ISF | DSF | SLM | IRP | KAN | 56th | 315 | [53] | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Ken Schrader Racing with Fury Race Cars | 52 | Ford | DAY 26 |
PHO | TAL | POC | IRP | KEN | IOW | KAN | TOL | TOL | MCH | DAY | GTW | L44 | TOL | BRI | WIN | MEM | ISF | KAN | 86th | 18 | [54] | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | 53 | Ford | DAY 14 |
PHO | TAL | KAN | CLT | BLN | ELK | MOH | IOW | POC | MCH | IRP | GLN | ISF | MLW | DSF | KAN | BRI | SLM | TOL | 92nd | 30 | [55] | ||||||||||||||||||
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
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