Natalie Decker will compete in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at EchoPark Speedway in July, driving the No. 35 Venturi Bold Brew Chevrolet for Joey Gase Motorsports.
The announcement comes weeks after a crash at Daytona put her name at the center of one of the more heated conversations the sport has seen in recent memory.
Natalie Decker Back on Track With EchoPark Return Amid Ongoing Scrutiny
During the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Daytona, Decker became involved in a multi-car incident when Sam Mayer’s car spun and rolled back toward the racing surface. Decker collided with Mayer’s car as it returned to the groove.
Opinions split fast. Critics said she had enough time to slow down and avoid the hit. Supporters pointed to the nature of superspeedway racing, where visibility disappears in an instant and reaction time is measured in fractions of a second.
TV analysts noted drivers are expected to reduce speed when cautions are live, and wreckage is still moving, but most stopped short of placing direct blame. Decker attributed the collision to the path of the spinning car. That explanation didn’t quiet the noise — if anything, it turned up the volume.
Decker isn’t a full-time competitor in NASCAR’s national series, but she’s one of the most recognized female drivers in the field. That recognition cuts both ways. Attention brings sponsorship opportunities. It also brings scrutiny.
For drivers grinding through ARCA and developmental programs, performance is the currency that opens doors. When the headlines center on crashes and social media reactions instead of race finishes, frustration builds — and that frustration came through clearly in the days after Daytona.
Karsyn Elledge — granddaughter of Dale Earnhardt and a co-host on the Door Bumper Clear podcast — addressed the situation publicly. She didn’t attack Decker directly, but she made clear she found the moment embarrassing for women trying to earn respect in NASCAR’s garage.
ARCA Series driver Taylor Reimer followed, posting her own thoughts about the responsibility that comes with being a female driver in a sport where every move gets amplified.
Jade Avedisian shared Reimer’s post and reinforced the message: visibility matters, and so does what you do with it.
The return to EchoPark Speedway in July gives Decker a chance to shift the conversation back to what happens on the track. The intensity around Daytona will likely fade as the season moves forward and new storylines take over.
But the questions it raised won’t disappear entirely — about judgment on the track, about responsibility off it, and about how female drivers want their place in NASCAR to be defined. Decker gets another shot in July. EchoPark Speedway will be watching.
