Natalie Decker announces she's expecting first child, claps back at retirement jab

Natalie Decker announced Wednesday she is expecting her first child with her husband, fellow NASCAR driver Derek Lempke.

“A little bit of heaven sent down to earth making our little dream come true,” Decker wrote on X.

A little bit of heaven sent down to earth making our little dream come true 🤍 pic.twitter.com/fsxqIcQMlI

— Natalie Decker (@NatalieRacing) August 14, 2024

Decker responded to claims she’s retiring from competition, saying she intends to make a return behind the wheel in 2025.

“I don’t owe anybody an answer for anything, but I want to make one thing clear once a race car driver always a race car driver. I’ll be back in the car in 2025,” Decker wrote.

Natalie Decker expecting to return to competition in 2025

Decker, 27, has competed in just one race this season — the Xfinity Series race at Charlotte back in May. She finished 29th piloting the No. 92 Chevrolet for DGM Racing. Decker was slated to compete at Talladega the month earlier but had to withdraw. According to Decker, NASCAR didn’t approve her sponsor, forcing her to withdraw from the field.

“I was on the entry list for Talladega in the 36 with DGM Racing because we had a sponsor pending approval from NASCAR,” Decker said at the time. “The plan was to go racing in Talladega but the sponsor was not approved that is why I am not racing this weekend. We knew this information a few days before the entry list was released but mistakes happen and my name was accidentally still on there.”

Decker has competed in 11 Xfinity Series races, finishing a career best 24th in the 2021 Talladega spring race. She also has 32 Truck Series starts under her belt, her best finish coming at Daytona in 2020 (5th).