Women in NASCAR: A Legacy Continues

Shawna Robinson, one of the few women who broke into the NASCAR Cup Series, became a mother in the late 1990s and raced in 21 events across three categories between 2001 and 2005. Other mothers who have also stepped into NASCAR’s National Tour Series include Sarah Christian, Jessica Frezen, Tina Gordon, Ethel Mobley, Ally Owens, and Kelly Sutton.

Now, Natalie Decker is gearing up to follow in their footsteps. She’s getting back behind the wheel just six months after welcoming her son, Ian.

Decker, at 28, will be sporting sponsorship from Wawa as she races the 92 DGM Racing Chevrolet at the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Daytona International Speedway on August 22nd.

She revealed this exciting news on Fox & Friends, but the host mistakenly claimed she’d be the first mother in NASCAR. That’s not quite accurate, though it’s understandable—there have been women in racing before her.

Decker’s comeback is set for May 25, 2024, after finishing 29th in the Xfinity race at Charlotte.

Daytona holds a special place for Decker. It’s the track where she achieved her best finishes: sixth in the 2019 ARCA race, fifth in the Track Series in 2020, and 18th in the 2024 Xfinity season opener.

Interestingly, Decker led seven laps in last year’s Xfinity race, marking her best performance by a woman in that event. Overall, she has participated in 44 NASCAR races across various tiers. In 2013, she was named the Arca Midwest Tour Rookie of the Year and made her NASCAR debut in 2019.

Coming from a racing family, Decker’s connections to the sport run deep. Her cousins, Claire and Page, both competed in NASCAR, and her father used to own a truck that hosted snowmobile derbies in Wisconsin.

This season, alongside Decker, Katherine Reguet is also making her mark, having competed in a limited number of Cup and Xfinity races, while full-time track driver Toni Brydinder is also in the mix.