NASCAR spotter calls out Natalie Decker after Dover radio outburst

Natalie Decker was quite emotional over the radio during Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover Motor Speedway after being dealt a penalty. 

Decker's radio transmissions included her saying she was "just trying to keep it together" and that there were "so many sh--- things" she could say regarding the Truck Series. 

Decker, 28, has run 34 races in the Truck Series and 15 in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, finding little success. She has an average finish of 24.5 in the Truck Series and 29.7 in the O'Reilly Series, though she does have the best Truck Series finish ever for a female driver by virtue of a fifth-place run at Daytona in 2020. 

Still, a lack of results has been common throughout Decker's career, and her outburst on the radio at Dover may have been a sign that it's time for her to take a step back from racing or temporarily drop down to a lower level and regain confidence. 

Decker finished 34th at Dover after only completing 81 of 200 laps. 

On Monday's episode of "Door Bumper Clear," NASCAR Cup Series spotter Freddie Kraft called out Decker for blaming others for her situation.

"I'm going to be the a--hole in the room, but again, even on this radio, it's not her, she's blaming people who have nothing to do with [her.]," Kraft said. "She's blaming the race director. What the f--- did he do? That's not their fault. You picked this race to go to. You got out of line too soon on a restart. That's a penalty. You sped on pit road. That's a penalty.

"You're going too slow on the racetrack. Yes, it's a tough place, but it's not the race director's fault. She's in the way."

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Kenny Wallace said he nearly phoned Decker after the race and offered some thoughts on her future. 

Kenny Wallace nearly called Natalie Decker

"I almost called her," Wallace said. "Because I felt that bad for her. I just couldn't do it."

Wallace also has a bone to pick in regard to Decker's 2026 schedule, which has included some of the toughest tracks in NASCAR. 

"Who in the hell is picking her schedule?" Wallace inquired. "You cannot go to Watkins Glen, and you cannot go to Dover. As a father figure looking at these young girls [in NASCAR], I want to see Natalie running Hickory [Motor Speedway] and Tri-County [Speedway] every week. I want to see her grinding. I don't want Natalie racing once every two months. I want her at Bowman Gray. I want her running a dirt race. 

"I want her family to create this schedule that's just racing, racing, racing."

Friday was not the first time Decker had seen one of her radio transmissions go viral. During a Truck Series race at Bristol in 2019, Decker was spun by a tow truck that was giving her a push. That led to her spotter, Kevin Hamlin, remarking that he was "completely (expletive) lost."

Decker has made it as high as the second-highest level of NASCAR and is clearly a talented driver to an extent. But now is a good time for her to reevaluate her career and potentially take Wallace's suggestion to develop more as a driver before climbing back up the NASCAR ladder.