NASCAR: Natalie Decker’s 2020 Truck schedule expanded

Natalie Decker is set to compete in four additional NASCAR Truck Series races this season, Niece Motorsports announced Wednesday.

Natalie Decker is slated to compete in four additional NASCAR Truck Series races this season, Niece Motorsports announced Wednesday.

She is set to compete in the races at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (Sunday, August 30), Richmond Raceway (Thursday, September 10), Bristol Motor Speedway (Thursday, September 17) and Texas Motor Speedway (Sunday, October).

The 23-year-old Eagle River, Wisconsin native is set to drive the #44 Chevrolet with sponsorship from N29 Capital Partners LLC and Ruedebusch Development & Construction.

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Decker has competed in eight of the 13 races that have been contested so far this season and sits in 24th place in the championship standings.

She missed the race at Pocono Raceway due to a medical issue but returned to competition at Kentucky Speedway.Her best finish this season is a career-high fifth place effort in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

First up on the remainder of her schedule is the CarShield 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Last season at the track, she crashed out. She also competed there back in the 2018 ARCA Menards Series season and finished in 15th place.

Next up is the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway, where Decker has never competed before. This race is set to be the first Truck Series race at the 0.75-mile short track in Richmond, Virginia since 2005. It is the final race on the regular season schedule. Decker only competes part-time, so she will not be battling for a playoff berth.

Then she is set to compete in the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The 0.533-mile short track in Bristol, Tennessee is set to host the opening race of the three-race round of 10, which marks the start of the Truck Series playoffs.

Decker has competed at the track both in the Truck Series and K&N Pro Series East. In her lone Truck Series race there last year, she started in 20th place but finished in 25th after crashing out late.

In her K&N Pro Series East race there, she didn’t fare too well, either. She only completed one lap, as a crash eliminated her shot at a good finishing position after starting in seventh place. She was ultimately scored in 19th.

To wrap up her additional slate of races, Decker is set to travel to Fort Worth, Texas to make her third start at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval in the SpeedyCash.com 400. In her previous two starts at the track, she has two DNFs.

According to her website, in addition to these races, Decker is slated to wheel the #44 Chevrolet in the upcoming races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Friday, September 25) and Talladega Superspeedway (Saturday, October 3).

Because of her scheduled start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, she is now set to compete in every race in the round of 10. She already has three starts at the track, but she has struggled there with no lead-lap finishes and an average finishing position of 19.67.

In the 2019 Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, Decker started in 19th place and finished in 16th, one lap off the lead lap. She also raced there twice in the ARCA Menards Series, but without much success. Her better finish was 23rd.

Decker has displayed some talent on superspeedways, however, with a fifth place finish in the Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. It was the best finish in Truck Series history by a female driver.

Overall, Decker has competed in 27 Truck Series races with that lone top five finish, also her lone top 12 finish. She competed part-time last year for DGR-Crosley and finished in 19th place in the championship standings after running 19 of 23 races.

Decker is set to start in 29th place in the CarShield 200. The 14th race of the 2020 NASCAR Truck Series season is scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 30, with live TV coverage provided by Fox Sports 1 beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.