Daytona International Speedway has long been a family stage, with fathers, sons, brothers, and even a handful of daughters and sisters competing over the decades. Next week, the story will take on a new dimension when Natalie Decker becomes just the third mother to turn NASCAR laps at the famed track.
Decker announced Wednesday that she will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Friday, Aug. 22, driving the No. 92 Chevrolet for DGM Racing. The team also fields a full-time entry with driver Josh Bilicki.
The start marks Decker’s first NASCAR appearance since May 2024 and her first since giving birth to her son, Levi, in February. The 28-year-old Wisconsin native is married to Derek Lemke, who has also raced in NASCAR events.
Next week’s race will be Decker’s third career Xfinity start at Daytona and her first race at any level since becoming a mother. She joins a short list of moms who have returned to NASCAR competition, including Shawna Robinson, whose career spanned from 1991 to 2005; Alli Owens, who raced ARCA before making an Xfinity start in 2016 after having her first child; and Jessica Friesen, who made Truck Series starts in 2021 and 2022.
Since beginning her stock car career in 2016, Decker has competed across multiple NASCAR platforms, including 12 Xfinity Series starts, 32 Truck Series races, and 31 ARCA events. She has also built a strong connection to Daytona, with some of her career-best performances coming at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Decker finished fifth in the Truck Series opener there in 2020 and claimed another fifth-place result in the 2018 ARCA season opener after starting from pole. Most recently, she placed 18th in the 2024 Xfinity season opener at Daytona.
As she prepares for her return, Decker’s entry brings a historic element to next week’s race. Beyond the competition, her start represents another milestone for mothers in motorsports — proof that racing careers and family life can thrive side by side.
