Just a couple weeks removed for a disappointing end to the race in Kentucky, Natalie Decker is back at the track, this time in Pocono. It’s a familiar place for Decker, who has raced their four times before, however, it will be the first time she wheels her No. 54 N29 Technologies Toyota Tundra there.
“I’m excited to get there with DGR Crosley and be in a truck,” said Decker. “That’s the most I’ve raced at one track that any series of NASCAR goes to. So it’s pretty cool that I have that many laps there.”
Decker’s season has had its ups and downs, most recently a downer after being wrecked out of the last race. It came on lap 44 at Kentucky as she maintained her line going through a turn and the No. 20 of Spencer Boyd came up the track and misjudged his spacing cutting Decker off. Thus, resulting in a wreck that ended his day as well as Jordan Anderson in the No. 3. It also forced Natalie Decker to bow out less than 10 laps later due to damage taken on the incident.
After the incident, Natalie Decker made her displeasure know with a face to face conversation with Boyd in the garage after the incident, where she grabbed his hat and tossed it on the ground after talking to him. She says that she wants to be race clean and isn’t going to take the treatment anymore.
“I was just kind of sick of dealing with him on the track, and him racing me like I’m less of a driver than him,” explained Decker. So I just wanted to confront him and tell him how I feel because it’s happened multiple times this year.”
She also noted when asked that she hopes the issue is resolved to saying simply, “I’m not sure. I hope so.”
Now fresh off a practice session in her Trans Am car at Road America in her home state of Wisconsin, Decker is locked in and ready to roll in Pocono. In four races at the track previously, all coming in the ARCA Series, Decker has three top 10 finishes. It poses one of her best shots so far this season to capture her first career Top 10 in the truck series.
“I really like the track in the ARCA car, so I hope I like it just as much as I did in the ARCA car in the truck.” said a hopeful Decker.
She has two top 15 finished to this point, finishing 13th in Vegas near the start of the season and then 14th a couple of weeks ago at Chicagoland. She will have a busy day to kick off the action Friday with her first of two practice sessions at 10:35 am, followed by the second at 12:35 pm. In the morning before practice, she will take part in a selfie session with fans.
Following the early practices, she will have qualifying for the Gander RV 150 at 6:05 pm. Then comes the time to take the action to the track with the green flag dropping just after 1:00 pm on Saturday afternoon at Pocono on Fox.
Written by Adrian Beecher
