Natalie Decker to drive DGM Racing No. 36 car in Xfinity Series opener at Daytona
Natalie Decker is making her return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, this time with DGM Racing for the season opener at Daytona. The 26-year-old driver has had sparse starts in the series since 2021. Her last opportunities came with SS-Green Light Racing and Emerling-Gase Motorsports.
In 2023, a P34 finish at Charlotte and a P35 DNF finish at Daytona-2 were all Decker had to show in the Xfinity Series, plus a DNQ at Homestead.
This opportunity with DGM Racing is another chance to prove herself. Natalie Decker is a marketable driver with a sizeable following on social media. She is often iRacing and trying to get her next opportunity in a race car.
Amped Fitness will be the sponsor of the car. Decker is excited to get another opportunity to race at Daytona. The deal was announced on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
The last time Natalie Decker ran a full-time season in a stock car was back in 2018 in the ARCA Menards Series. Decker scored a couple of top-5s, including at Daytona. She had a good number of top-10s as well, finishing 7th overall in the 2018 season.
Since then, her racing in ARCA and NASCAR has been rare. She has never been given a full-time season in the Truck Series. With this opportunity, Decker will try and make the most of it. If she can show improvement on the track, it could lead to more opportunities later this year.
Natalie Decker will likely need to qualify for Daytona
The way the entries for the Xfinity Series race at Daytona keep coming, there is a good chance that Natalie Decker will need to qualify for this United Rentals 300. DGM Racing will have three entries in the Daytona race, and will hope to get all three in the main event.
In 2022 with Reaume Brothers Racing, Decker failed to qualify. She has not attempted the Daytona opener since then. There is no denying that Decker has a following. She has fans and does a lot more than racing.
If NASCAR is going to be a real venture for her, then more starts have to come. Whether that is in ARCA, in the Truck Series, or wherever it is. If she doesn’t have more races each season, it is going to be tough to secure rides, let alone ones that have speed.
It is always great to have more drivers in NASCAR. There are a lot of young women out there that are coming up in the ranks and Natalie Decker has inspired many girls and women to pursue their dreams. I hope she makes the race at Daytona and puts on a good show.