Tough to listen to.
Natalie Decker has had to deal with plenty of scrutiny during her time in NASCAR, both from fans and other drivers. The part-time competitor in the NASCAR Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has made her fair share of mistakes in her limited starts, and earlier this year drew criticism from her fellow female drivers for a photo she took in which she pulled down her fire suit with comedian Bert Kreischer.
And it seems like all of the pressure has finally gotten to Decker, who ended her race – and possibly her Truck Series career altogether – early during today’s race at Dover Motor Speedway.
Decker was driving the #22 truck for Team Reaume when she was given a penalty for jumping a restart, and subsequently black flagged for failing to maintain minimum speed on the track. She then keyed up her mic and told her crew that she was done in some clearly emotional comments:
“You guys I’m trying my best to hold my sh-t together but I don’t want to keep doing this.”
Her crew did their best to keep her calm, with team owner Josh Reaume assuring Natalie that she could park the truck if she wanted to. And the driver continued to express her frustration with the Truck Series:
“There’s just so many sh–ty things that I could say right now, and I’m just trying to keep it together, about the f—ing director of the series.”
Coincidentally, Decker was sponsored by Nico’s Hope for Life Foundation, something that Reaume reminded his driver of as he assured her that it was fine to bring it back into the garage. But Decker was clearly disappointed in herself:
“I feel like a f—ing failure if I do that. There’s so many things I want to say and I’m probably going to get f—ing suspended, you have no idea.
I’m sorry Josh, I’m not going to come back to the Truck Series … I’m staying in the O’Reilly Series, this series f—ing sucks.”
She also expressed concern about the hate that she would receive online for the incident:
“The amount of hate I’m going to get online for this is just going to be insane, I’m not ready.”
Tough to hear. She’s clearly struggling, and you hate to see anybody feel liking like that.
After the audio began circulating, fans expressed their concern and well-wishes for her mental health:
I feel bad for her, she doesn’t deserve all the disrespect NASCAR fans are giving to her.
— Devin Cook (@DevinC42587) May 16, 2026
https://x.com/RobergRacing/status/2055452052717768904
https://x.com/Rpeeters33/status/2055484579897635024
https://x.com/StartAndParkCar/status/2055424165025362419
https://x.com/guccireptar/status/2055456557358301617
And listen, I’ve been as critical of Decker as anybody. I don’t think she’s ready to be in NASCAR, and I don’t think she’s doing what she needs to do to get ready. She’s a successful influencer, and is attractive to sponsors, but it feels like tonight she realized that she’s in over her head and needs more time to develop if she actually wants to be a race car driver.
(Let’s also not forget she’s got a much more important job: She became a mother for the first time last year).
Decker has competed in two O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races so far this year, finishing 33rd at both Daytona and Talladega, and has driven the past two Truck Series races for Team Reaume. She has a career-best finish in the Truck Series of 5th at Daytona back in 2020, and 18th in the O’Reilly Series (also at Daytona) in 2024.
I know she’s going to get (and is already getting) plenty of criticism online, but let’s just hope her mental health is alright and she takes some time to evaluate what’s best for her.
