“We Don’t Need to Be Friends If You Don’t Like Me” – Natalie Decker Boldly Doubles Down on Her Denny Hamlin Villain Statement (Exclusive)

As NASCAR enters a new era with the younger generation of drivers, one female star is quickly sweeping the paddock off its feet. After securing the highest-ever finish by a woman in the Truck Series and joining an elite group of female Xfinity Series drivers just one year later, Natalie Decker has her eyes set on securing a spot in the sport’s future for the long haul. However, not all are butterflies and rainbows.

Decker often finds herself under fire from both fans and veteran drivers alike, who may not be too fond of her unconventional yet successful path to NASCAR. During such times, it turns out that Natalie Decker takes inspiration from an unlikely person. In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, the 26-year-old explained just what she meant when she tweeted, “Goals for 2024… have a @dennyhamlin attitude and personality,”

Natalie Decker aims to channel her inner Denny Hamlin to fend off the doubters

Natalie Decker seems to be facing some pressure from haters and there is no better driver than Denny Hamlin to look up to and solve that problem. The 23XI Racing co-owner may be one of NASCAR’s most controversial figures, but he isn’t one to back down from speaking his mind. Just consider his recent spat with SMI President Marcus Smith on X over the condition of Sonoma Raceway.

Though Hamlin may have earned himself the ‘villain’ title owing to his attitude, Natalie Decker believes it’s this very personality that is needed to keep the haters and doubters at bay. During the exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, in partnership with Fan Controlled Sports, Decker went over the aspects of Hamlin’s character that she wanted to channel this season. She stated, “When I tweeted out that I wanted to be more like Denny Hamlin, it wasn’t so much of the Villain part of him on the racetrack.”

For Decker, Hamlin’s ability to stand up for himself in front of any stakeholder, no matter how relevant, was key to winning some of her own battles. She added, “It was more towards the ‘I don’t care’ attitude, but not in a bad way, like in a good way, like, you’re just over it, and you’re gonna live your life how you want to live your life and every day, I know for sure Denny is probably waking up really happy, having the time of his life, in his beautiful house on the lake with his family, gorgeous boat and pool.”

As many boos as Hamlin receives, the Joe Gibbs Racing star never seems to be bothered by the comments. Decker felt this was in stark contrast to her approach. She shared, “I’m always reading comments on social media and, you know, feeling pressure from people I don’t even know. And I’m like, I don’t need that in my life. I want to wake up, enjoy my life, and be who I am authentically”.

Beginning to channel her inner Hamlin, Decker quipped, “If people don’t like the authentic Natalie, then you know what? We don’t need to be friends if you don’t like me.”

Just as Denny Hamlin has built up his fair share of enemies, Natalie Decker too believes that’s the cost she will have to pay if it means she can stay true to her authentic self. With that said, the journey up to this point hasn’t really been an easy one.

What’s the biggest lesson Decker has learned during her NASCAR career so far?

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It’s no secret that making it to the top series of NASCAR is no easy feat for any driver. But for a female racer, that prospect is made ten times tougher by all the prejudices that have unfortunately existed for decades. Though NASCAR today is a vastly diverse and inclusive sport, there are still obstacles that plague a female driver’s path. The case has been fairly similar for Natalie Decker.

Opening up on the exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, the 26-year-old opened up about the toughest lesson she’s had to learn. She stated, “You come in not knowing anything so there’s so much that you have to learn and figure out which people you can trust to lean on for advice and who you want to surround yourself with going forward. I would say the biggest lesson I learned was that not every single person in the sport has the best interest for you.”

The DGM Racing driver may be in a favorable position in the eyes of most entities today, but that wasn’t always the case. Natalie Decker concluded by revealing the tough reality of competitive sports. She stated, “When you’re working with certain people or doing certain things at the track, sometimes you just want to keep your circle small, and after a few years in the sport I’ve realized that and it is the one thing that I wish I would have known.”

As Natalie Decker gets candid about her struggles with trust and dependability in the world of NASCAR, will channeling Denny Hamlin’s ‘I don’t care’ attitude help make the 26-year-old’s character more resilient and unshakeable?