NASCAR’s Natalie Decker Says Her Future Husband First DM’d Her When She Was 15

Natalie Decker reflected on the early days of her relationship with her husband, fellow race car driver Derek Lemke, revealing they first crossed paths when she was a teenager.

Decker, 28, married Lemke, 32, on New Year’s Eve in 2023. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Levi, on Feb. 5, 2025.

During a Thursday, Feb. 12 appearance on the Speedway Sessions podcast, Decker said she first noticed Lemke when she was 14 and visiting his home track in Elko, Wisconsin, where he was a few people ahead of her in line for a pit pass.

She recalled spotting him in a backwards baby-blue Bauer hockey hat and joking to her dad that if he was both a hockey player and a race car driver, she was going to marry him. Her dad brushed it off, she said.

Later that day, she ran into Lemke and his father at a bar after the race and realized their age gap. “This isn’t gonna work,” she remembered thinking. “He’s 18, I’m 14.”

She said they saw each other again at Oktoberfest at the end of the season, when she was 15 and still very much crushing on him. At the time, Lemke had already graduated high school and was dating someone else, she noted.

About six months later, Lemke messaged her on Instagram with a blunt line: “Call me when you’re 18.”

She told the podcast she didn’t contact him when she turned 18 because she had a boyfriend then, but Lemke reached out again on Valentine’s Day later that year with a simple check-in: “How’s it going?”

Decker said she replied flirtatiously, adding that she was close to turning 19 at the time. From there, she said, they never stopped talking. “That was 11 years ago this Valentine’s Day,” she shared.

One of the podcast hosts reacted with surprise to the story and asked if the earlier message could be considered grooming. Decker said it wasn’t something they ever talked about.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Decker said she’d be happy if her son eventually wanted to race, though she’d support whatever he loves—whether it’s golf, hockey, or something else. She also shared that family is her priority and that she keeps her circle small, spending most of her time with Lemke, Levi, and close relatives.

Reflecting on her marriage, Decker said she feels she married the love of her life, calling Lemke “the sweetest, best husband,” and credited his support during her experience with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She added that he has also been encouraging as she’s adjusted to motherhood, including sharing a Mother’s Day message praising how well she’s taken to being a mom.

Lemke also marked their wedding with a message about their instant connection, writing that he knew from day one how he wanted his life to look and telling Decker he loved her.