The #41 car, Natalie Decker, caused controversy at Daytona after her crash with Sam Mayer, which did not sit well with fans. Decker, who apparently didn’t have time to brake, was unable to save the car and crashed into Mayer during Lap 92 after he was attempting to get to the outside lane. To add to it, she then had a profanity-filled rant on her radio that didn’t go well with many, including her fellow female drivers in the sport, who then ganged up on social media against her.

The gang-up against Decker

Other well-known women in the sport began to speak out and share their take on what being a woman in motorsports means. The posts allude to them beginning to gang up on Decker for her poor behavior after the crash. Taylor Reimer took to X to speak about what she’s learned from being a woman in sports.

“People are always watching: sponsors, teams, fans, and kids,” said Reimer, “I made a promise to myself that I would do it the right way. In 10 years, I want to look back and be proud of how I carried myself and hope that I inspired young girls along the way, even if that means I don’t make it as far in the sport as I hope I do.”

Another female driver, Jade Avedisian, responded to Reimer’s post, backing her up.

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“Well said @taylorreimerr. Couldn’t agree more. As a female in racing, my goal in life is to carry myself with a high standard on and off the track. Thanks @KarsynElledge3 for speaking on this topic as well,” said Avedisian.

Door Bumper Clear podcast co-host Karsyn Elledge spoke out against the controversial driver as well on Dirty Mo Media. The former driver had some harsh words about how the controversy makes female drivers look.

“It’s honestly embarrassing. It’s embarrassing for the women who have worked hard to have a place in this sport, to be taken seriously, to be seen as an equal competitor. And there are a lot of us who have made a career, and like the Taylor Reimer’s and Isabella Robustos of the world, Jade Avedisian, they are really talented. It’s just embarrassing to be honest. And that’s really all I have to say about it,” said Elledge.

Regardless of whether fans believe Decker reacted incorrectly, one thing is for certain. The women in the sport are not happy with the view this paints for other women in the industry. And in Decker’s case, it wasn’t just about the crash.

Decker’s prior controversy adds fuel to the fire

On top of the Daytona controversy Decker just created, there is also controversy about her involvement in an adult platform and trying to get sponsorship from it. Decker was interviewed, and this platform was brought up. She explained what had happened with the sponsorship and the timeline of it.

According to Decker, her involvement began before she was married to her husband, Derek, and the platform would sponsor a whole season. While she was in contact with them, NASCAR said, “Absolutely not.” So Decker then thought she could secure a sponsorship if she tried to switch to road racing, but they also said no.

“We were trying to work out a deal to have sponsorship, like, to have them sponsor a race in NASCAR, a whole season or whatever that looked like,” said Decker, “Obviously, (the platform) has a bad rep, there was gonna be no nudity, if I were to do this. But it never went through.”

Decker then explains how the adult platform ended up being used as a sponsor a couple of months later. Many of the other female drivers have spoken out and spoken about their disdain, such as Karsyn Elledge’s post on X. This caused an onslaught of fans to speak about why Decker even has a NASCAR license.

However controversial her actions have proved to be, the driver will need to prove she belongs in NASCAR, or the fans and other women in the sport might continue to speak out against her.