WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – Six months ago, Natalie Decker gave birth to her son Levi. Now, she has her eyes set on Daytona for her thirteenth NASCAR Xfinity Series appearance.
Racing is a family affair. Decker grew up in Eagle River, learning the art of snowmobile racing at her family’s World Derby Complex. Although her dad and uncles introduced Decker to racing in the snow, the asphalt is what she fell in love with.
The rush of adrenaline on the track is a high Decker has never been able to match before. A rush, Decker got hooked on at nine years old. When she turned twelve, she took the wheel of her first stock car, where she bumped her way to a first-place finish.
“I remember like moving someone for the win, and they got really upset with me,” Decker says. “I was like, I’m never going to do that again. I was like so freaked out. And my dad was like No. He’s like, next weekend, move them again for the win. And I was like, yes. This is amazing. The adrenaline was crazy, and I just loved it.”
No track could bring Decker the rush that giving birth to her first child, Levi, could.
“It was really difficult, and I didn’t understand how strong I was until I was pregnant,” Decker says. “Giving birth was incredible, the best experience of my life, and it was the biggest adrenaline rush I’ve ever had. I go 200 miles per hour, but giving birth topped that.“
Now, Decker hopes to bring the family tradition to a new generation. Young racers can begin to train at age four, and Decker says she intends to do just that.
“He’s gonna grow up around it, so either he’s gonna love it, or he’s just not going to be interested at all,” Decker says.
Decker has been itching to get back on the track since she was six weeks postpartum. She says the moment she was cleared for exercise, she was ready to get back in action.
“The plan was always to get back on track, me in the driver’s seat,” Decker says.” 6 weeks post partum, I was ready. I was like, let’s go, let’s do it.
The 2025 Wawa 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Daytona will be the first race Decker gets to take on as a new mom. You can catch Decker in action next Friday at 6:30 p.m. on the Central Wisconsin CW.
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