Natalie Decker Biography: Age, Height, Husband, NASCAR, Career, Net Worth, Baby, Racing Stats & Facts

Natalie Decker is a trailblazing American stock car racer who turned a Wisconsin short-track childhood into a national NASCAR career, becoming one of the most recognizable female drivers in modern motorsports. From winning four karting championships in her teens to scoring the highest-ever finish by a woman in the NASCAR Truck Series at Daytona, the Eagle River native has raced her way through ARCA, Trucks, Xfinity, and Trans Am competition while breaking barriers for women in racing. At 28 years old in 2026, she is balancing new motherhood—having welcomed her first son in early 2025—with a part-time return to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, proving that family and high-speed ambition can share the same fast lane.

Quick Facts

Early Life & Education

Natalie Marie Decker was born on June 25, 1997, in Eagle River, Wisconsin, a small town in the state’s Northwoods region where snowmobiling and racing are woven into the local culture. She grew up in a family passionate about motorsports, with cousins Claire Decker and Paige Decker also pursuing professional racing careers.

Decker’s racing journey began in go-karts, where she won four track championships around Wisconsin in just two years. By age 12, she had moved into full-sized stock cars, competing in 4-cylinder modifieds and quickly climbing the ladder through Super Stock, Limited Late Model, and Super Late Model divisions. She captured the CWSSA Super Stock championship and later became the first female racer to score a podium finish in the competitive ARCA Midwest Tour.

Rather than following a traditional academic path, Decker focused intensely on her racing development. She attended the NASCAR Drive for Diversity combine in 2013 and 2014, and in 2015 was selected to the prestigious Drive for Diversity program with Rev Racing, the same developmental team that launched the careers of stars like Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace. She also competed in the Alan Kulwicki Driver Development program in 2016, earning a $7,777 award.

Career Journey

Local and Regional Racing (2011–2017)

Decker dominated Wisconsin short tracks from an early age. After her karting success, she won the 2012 Super Stock championship at Marshfield Motor Speedway and later added a State Park Speedway track championship in the Super Late Model division, along with Rookie of the Year honors. She also won races at Golden Sands Speedway and on the TUNDRA Super Late Model series, establishing herself as one of the top young talents in the upper Midwest.

In 2014, she recorded 10 fast times and seven feature wins at State Park Speedway, finishing fourth in overall points. Her breakout moment on the national stage came when she became the first woman to podium in the ARCA Midwest Tour.

ARCA Menards Series (2017–2020)

Decker signed with Venturini Motorsports in 2017 for a partial ARCA schedule, making her debut at Toledo Speedway and finishing 11th on the lead lap. In 2018, Venturini promoted her to the full ARCA season, where she opened with a bang: winning the pole position at Daytona International Speedway and finishing fifth in a crash-filled race. She battled through a mid-season hernia injury but still completed the season seventh in points, the last driver among those who competed in every race.

She ran select ARCA races in 2019 and 2020, including another Daytona pole attempt, before shifting focus to NASCAR’s national touring series.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2019–2022)

Decker made her Truck Series debut in 2019 with DGR-Crosley at Daytona, though her race ended early when a cut tire ruptured an oil line and set her truck on fire. She showed flashes of speed but also controversy: at Kentucky Speedway, she was involved in an on-track incident with Spencer Boyd, after which she grabbed Boyd’s hat in the garage and slammed it to the ground, earning a verbal warning from NASCAR officials.

The highlight of her Truck career came on February 14, 2020, when she finished fifth at Daytona driving for Niece Motorsports. That result stands as the highest finish ever by a female driver in the NASCAR Truck Series. Health issues hampered her later that season—she missed races at Pocono and Talladega due to bile-duct complications from gallbladder surgery and later high blood pressure issues.

NASCAR Xfinity / O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (2021–Present)

Decker made her Xfinity Series debut in 2021 with RSS Racing / Our Motorsports, running a partial schedule. She returned in 2022 with Reaume Brothers Racing and again in 2023 with Emerling-Gase Motorsports, running both Xfinity and ARCA events. In 2024, she joined DGM Racing for the Daytona season-opener, finishing 18th and leading laps—making history as the most laps led by a female at Daytona in the Xfinity Series since Danica Patrick.

After taking time off in late 2023 and 2024 to give birth to her son, Decker returned to NASCAR in August 2025 for the Wawa 250 at Daytona, finishing 22nd. In 2026, she is competing part-time in the newly rebranded O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity), driving the No. 35 Chevrolet for Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen. She is the only woman entered in the O’Reilly Series race at Daytona during the 2026 opening weekend.

Trans Am Series and Other Racing

Away from ovals, Decker has proven versatile on road courses. She made her Trans Am debut at Road America with AVE Motorsports and in 2021 won the SGT Pro Am Championship in the Trans Am Series. In 2022, she drove an Audi R8 GT to a win and a fifth-place finish overall at the Charlotte Roval.

Career Stats & Milestones

• ARCA Menards Series: 31 races over 5 years; 1 pole (Daytona 2018); best finish 5th (Daytona 2018); 7th in points (2018)
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: 33 races over 3 years; best finish 5th (Daytona 2020) — highest-ever for a female in Trucks
• NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (Xfinity): 15+ races over 6 years; best finish 18th (Daytona 2024); led laps at Daytona (2024)
• Trans Am Series: SGT Pro Am Champion (2021); winner at Charlotte Roval (2022)
• Total NASCAR National Series Starts: 50+ across Trucks and O’Reilly Series
• Daytona Top-20 Finishes: 5 across ARCA, Trucks, and O’Reilly Series

Personal Life

Marriage and Family

Natalie Decker married fellow race car driver Derek Lemke on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2023, in her hometown of Eagle River, Wisconsin. The couple had gotten engaged in December 2022 after a long courtship that began when Decker was a teenager.

Their love story began at a Wisconsin short track when Decker was 14 years old and Lemke was 18. She spotted him in line for a pit pass wearing a baby blue Bauer hockey hat and told her father, “I will marry that guy.” Months later, after she turned 18, Lemke sent her a direct message that read, “Call me when you’re 18.” They have been together ever since—more than a decade.

The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Levi Lemke, on February 5, 2025. Decker took more than a year away from full-time racing during pregnancy and early motherhood, returning to the track in August 2025. The family resides in Salisbury, North Carolina, the heart of NASCAR country.

Health and Advocacy

Decker has been open about her battle with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition that causes joint pain and fatigue. She has worked with the Arthritis Foundation as a Champion Ambassador, using her platform to raise awareness for the disease that affects nearly 300,000 American children.

In 2020, she faced additional health setbacks related to gallbladder surgery and subsequent bile-duct complications, as well as episodes of high blood pressure and high heart rate that forced her to miss races. She has spoken about the physical demands of racing while managing chronic health conditions.

Hobbies and Interests

When not at the track, Decker enjoys golf and hockey—sports she shares with her husband, who played hockey growing up. She maintains a close-knit family circle, telling interviewers that she prefers spending downtime with Levi, Derek, and immediate family rather than socializing extensively within the NASCAR paddock.

Controversies

Decker’s most publicized on-track controversy occurred in July 2019 at Kentucky Speedway, where she was involved in a racing incident with Spencer Boyd during the Truck Series event. In the garage afterward, she approached Boyd, took his hat off his head, and slammed it on the ground. NASCAR officials verbally warned her, and she was escorted away by her team. The moment generated debate about sportsmanship and the pressures facing young drivers.

In February 2026, Decker’s appearance on the Speedway Sessions podcast reignited discussion about her relationship origin story. When she revealed that Derek Lemke first direct-messaged her when she was a teenager and he was a young adult, podcast co-host Matt Tifft asked, “Is that grooming?” Decker replied, “We never talked about it,” and the exchange drew mixed reactions online, though the couple has maintained that their relationship was built on years of friendship and mutual respect.

Awards & Achievements

• NASCAR Drive for Diversity participant (2015)
• Alan Kulwicki Driver Development competitor (2016)
• ARCA Menards Series Daytona Pole Winner (2018)
• NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Rookie of the Year (Florida, 2015)
• Trans Am Series SGT Pro Am Champion (2021)
• Highest Female Finish in NASCAR Truck Series History: 5th place, Daytona (2020)
• First Female Podium in ARCA Midwest Tour
• NASCAR Rev Racing Drive for Diversity alumna

Physical Statistics

Quotes

“Daytona is a track that demands respect – it’s fast, unpredictable, and mentally intense. As a driver, it represents opportunity, momentum, and the kind of challenge that brings out the best in you.”
— On returning to Daytona in 2026

“I was 14 years old, and I went to his home track at Elko. And he was wearing a baby blue Bauer hat, a hockey brand, backwards. And I look at my dad, and I said, ‘Do you think that’s a hockey player and a race car driver? Because if that’s the case, I will marry that guy.'”
— On meeting Derek Lemke for the first time

“That mom hat fits you well, happy first Mother’s Day.”
— Derek Lemke, Instagram post to Natalie, May 2025

Favorites

• Hometown: Eagle River, Wisconsin
• Current Home: Salisbury, North Carolina
• Track: Daytona International Speedway
• Car Number: 35
• Racing Series: NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
• Road Course: Road America
• Sponsors: T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel, Busch Light (past), Red Street Records (past)
• Sports (Outside Racing): Golf, hockey
• Charity Cause: Arthritis Foundation

Earnings

Natalie Decker’s exact net worth is not publicly disclosed, though a 2020 report estimated her wealth at approximately $5 million when she was 23 years old. That figure likely included racing contracts, sponsorships, and endorsement deals at the height of her early career.

By 2026, her net worth is more conservatively estimated between $1 million and $3 million, accounting for the financial realities of part-time racing, sponsorship fluctuations, and time away from the sport during maternity. NASCAR developmental and part-time drivers typically earn between $50,000 and $200,000 annually in salary and prize money, with additional income from personal sponsorships and merchandise.

Decker has benefited from partnerships with brands like Busch Light (through their “Accelerate Her Program”), T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel, AVE Motorsports, and Red Street Records.

Interesting Facts

• Decker won four karting championships in two years before she was old enough to drive on public roads.
• She is one of only a handful of women to have led laps at Daytona in a NASCAR national touring series, achieving the feat in 2024.
• She is the cousin of Paige Decker and Claire Decker, both of whom have also competed in NASCAR-sanctioned events.
• In 2023, she ran a Cracker Jill and Cracker Jack paint scheme at Charlotte Motor Speedway to promote women in sports.
• She is a rare driver who has competed successfully in both oval track and road course racing, winning a Trans Am championship on road courses while building her reputation on short-track ovals.
• Her son Levi attended his first race track at just a few months old, sitting on both parents’ laps with protective headphones.

Did You Know Already?

• Decker’s fifth-place finish at Daytona in the 2020 Truck Series broke the previous record for highest female finish in that series.
• She was hospitalized during the 2020 season for bile-duct complications following gallbladder surgery, causing her to miss multiple races.
• The W Series, an all-female Formula 3-level championship, selected Decker to compete in 2019, though she ultimately focused on NASCAR.
• She and Derek Lemke were married on New Year’s Eve 2023 in a ceremony in Eagle River, Wisconsin.
• She returned to NASCAR competition in August 2025, just six months after giving birth to Levi.

Social Media Links

• Instagram: @nataliedecker
• X (Twitter): @NatalieDecker
• Facebook: Natalie Decker Racing
• Official Website: https://nataliedeckerinc.com
• TikTok: Limited presence via Instagram cross-posts

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Natalie Decker?
Natalie Decker was born on June 25, 1997, making her 28 years old as of 2026.

Who is Natalie Decker’s husband?
She is married to Derek Lemke, a fellow race car driver from Wisconsin. They wed on December 31, 2023, and have one son, Levi, born February 5, 2025.

What is Natalie Decker known for?
She is best known as a NASCAR driver who scored the highest-ever finish by a woman in the Truck Series at Daytona (5th, 2020), won the ARCA Daytona pole in 2018, and returned to racing after maternity leave in 2025.

How tall is Natalie Decker?
She is approximately 5 feet 1 inch (155 cm) tall.

Does Natalie Decker have a child?
Yes. She and Derek Lemke welcomed their son, Levi Lemke, on February 5, 2025.

What series does Natalie Decker race in now?
As of 2026, she competes part-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity Series), driving the No. 35 Chevrolet for Joey Gase Motorsports.

What health condition does Natalie Decker have?
She has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and has served as an Arthritis Foundation Champion Ambassador. She also dealt with gallbladder and blood-pressure complications in 2020.

Conclusion

Natalie Decker’s journey from a Wisconsin go-kart champion to a Daytona record-holder and now a racing mom is a story of persistence, adaptability, and breaking barriers. At 28, she has already notched milestones that put her in the history books alongside Danica Patrick and Hailie Deegan, while embracing a new chapter as a wife and mother. Whether she’s leading laps at Daytona or cheering from the sidelines with Levi on her lap, Decker remains one of the most compelling figures in American motorsports—a driver proving that the finish line and the nursery can both be part of the same victory lap.

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