One viral moment at Daytona suddenly put Natalie Decker in the middle of a storm she wasn’t expecting, as a light-hearted sponsor promo drew sharp criticism from other female drivers in the paddock. Rather than staying quiet, Decker fired back, setting up a growing debate inside the NASCAR garage.

“They were saying it was inappropriate that I had my shirt off with Bert. And that it’s a disgrace to NASCAR and women in NASCAR,” Natalie Decker said. “But the girl that was talking about it and like, saying these things, was saying the F word every other sentence. Tattoos, face piercings, all of them are okay. I don’t care that she has those things; I don’t care that she swears.”

Driving the No. 35 Joey Gase Motorsports Chevrolet, Natalie Decker raced in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts season-opener in Daytona. But before she strapped into her car, she attracted the public eye for something. Decker stripped down the upper part of her firesuit, posing alongside shirtless comedian Bert Kreischer on the fan deck. All laughs and smiles, she wrote on X that she was promoting her sponsor, T.N. Dickinson.

The image quickly racked up more than 25,000 likes online, but it also reopened long-standing tension around how women in motorsports balance sponsorship demands and public perception.

However, other female drivers thought this promotion went a little over the edge. The backlash stemmed from Taylor Reimer, who competes in the ARCA Menards Series for Pinnacle Racing Group, who emphasized the weight of responsibility that an act of publicity carries. Jade Avedisian, a standout in Toyota Racing Development, who races part-time in ARCA and full-time in the ASA STARS National Tour, agreed. Also part of the backlash was Karsyn Elledge, dirt racer and niece of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Reimer wrote that while securing sponsorship is a grind she knows well, she has always promised herself she would “do it the right way,” framing Decker’s stunt as the wrong message for young women entering racing. Avedisian publicly agreed, saying her goal has always been to carry herself with a high standard on and off the track.

Decker, though, wasn’t interested in apologizing for being herself.

“If you’re gonna talk about someone being classy, and that it’s bad that they’re not classy, like maybe be a little classy yourself, then. Like, I’ve never once been like, ‘I’m the classiest lady out there.’ I know that’s not me and my personality. I am very bubbly, I am outgoing. I say what I want to say, and I like to feel hot and wear hot clothes. And take my shirt off when I see Bert. So, I never once called myself classy,” Natalie Decker continued.

The photo controversy came during an already turbulent week for Decker, who entered Daytona facing renewed scrutiny over both her on-track results and past headlines. The 28-year-old has raced part-time across NASCAR’s Truck Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, managing just one top-20 finish in either series over the last five years, a stat critics were quick to point out as the debate intensified.

Matters worsened during the race itself when Decker finished 33rd after crashing into Sam Mayer in a multi-car wreck. Over team radio, she unleashed a string of emotional expletives while blaming Mayer for sliding back up the track, though replays showed Mayer had lost his brakes and Decker accelerated into the incident from behind.

With pressure mounting from all sides, Decker unexpectedly found support from one of NASCAR’s most outspoken veterans.

Pardoning a harmless act

Kenny Wallace, a nine-time NASCAR Xfinity Series race winner, has always been a strong proponent of women drivers. And watching Natalie Decker receiving backlash from other women, he chose to defend a seemingly harmless action. Wallace’s determination to show support was also due to people thrashing Decker for her race – she crashed into Sam Mayer, and finished 33rd.

“Natalie, you’re going to watch this. As my momma would say, this too shall soon pass,” Kenny Wallace stated. “Dust it off and go to Pocono, your next sponsored race. I remember racing you at Marshall Town, and I remember you running 15th, something like that, at Daytona.”

“Shame on all of you. You know, that’s a human being, right?” he continued. “And you know, when she was on her radio, she wasn’t talking to you; she was talking to her team. And as far as pulling her firesuit down, I’m sure she had to take it back; she would. But like I said, if it would have been October for breast cancer awareness month, it would have been just fine.”

Clearly, Natalie Decker has divided the NASCAR world over her Daytona actions. Let’s see when everybody moves on from this and focuses on the rest of the season.