It’s no secret that without proper financial backing, it is impossible to be a motorsports athlete in today’s world. It is expensive to be a race car driver and NASCAR is no different. A lot of this funding at the highest level comes from sponsors, the lack of which has seen several lose their seats and drop out of the sport. However, when part-time Xfinity Series racer Natalie Decker cited this for not having a schedule in 2024, fans said that it was because she simply wasn’t good enough.

Last year, Decker took part in a select few Xfinity Series races and did not have a decent performance in any of them. Her time in NASCAR has been marred with below-par finishes which seems to have set her career back a lot. With only a few days to go before the new season starts, it is unlikely that the 26-year-old will find a seat at least in the initial part of the campaign.

Xfinity Series star opens up on ‘stolen’ sponsorships

Natalie Decker was replying to a fan’s question when she revealed the reason behind her not having a schedule. The fan asked if she had quit racing when she revealed that her sponsorship had been stolen. The 26-year-old did not hold back on the criticism as she felt that she was betrayed by the people she trusted and said that she was still on the hunt for sponsors.

“I didn’t quit. There are lots of snakes in this sport… I am not the first driver in this sport to get a sponsorship stolen. I want to be in the car as much as possible!! Working everyday to find sponsors for 2024,” the 26-year-old commented on X.

However, NASCAR is an extremely results-oriented sport, much like any other form of motorsports. It takes a lot of money for companies to sponsor a driver and if that driver has not been delivering consistently, it is tough to back them. In the Xfinity Series last year, Decker qualified for 2 races in which she finished P34 and P35. Her only top 10 finish in a major NASCAR competition came in 2020 when she finished P5 in Daytona for Niece Motorsports in the Truck Series.

Post the revelation, fans were quick to point out her woeful results of late in reply to her stolen sponsorship comment. NASCAR fans are known to be brutally honest on social media and they did not hold back this time around either.

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NASCAR fans slam 26-YO for not owning up to poor performances

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Users made clear that it was not that someone stole her sponsorships, but that her previous sponsors were not confident enough in her to offer her a new deal. Some of the comments were not subtle at all as fans slammed the 26-year-old race car driver. “Takes talent too,” one user commented.

Another fan made a sarcastic comment about how Natalie Decker was blaming everybody but herself for the predicament she has found herself in. “Ahhhh yes. The tried and true Matty D strategy. “Nothing is my fault and let me find a way to make myself more unattractive to potential sponsors.” Good job,” they wrote.

There were positive messages but most fans were of the belief that it was her performances that let both her and her sponsors down. One user commented, “Your sponsorship wasn’t stolen, you never produced the results that your sponsor expected you to produce. But keep reaching Natalie!”

Some users brought up specific performances that were extremely disappointing to make the 26-year-old understand. “Being 12 seconds off the pace in qualifying at Road America does not maintain sponsors,” one fan wrote. “I mean, you have to finish higher than 35th on a regular basis to get long term sponsors,” quipped another.

It’s safe to say that being a NASCAR athlete is tough on several fronts. The financial aspect is always going to be there but the sport’s fans are ruthless. It could either demotivate a driver or light a raging fire in their belly to prove their doubters wrong. Which one will happen with Natalie Decker?

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