“Call Me When You’re 18!” Natalie Decker Reveals Husband First DM’d Her at 14

Natalie Decker recalls her hilarious love story with her now husband Derek Lemke which began when she was just 14 years old.

“Call Me When You’re 18!” Natalie Decker Reveals Husband First DM’d Her at 14

Natalie Decker with husband Derek Lemke and son Levi (via People.com)

In Short
  • Natalie Decker met her husband, Derek Lemke, when she was 14 and he was 18 at a racing event.
  • Lemke slid into Decker's DMs a year later, asking her to contact him when she turned 18.
  • Decker expresses support for her son Levi's future career choices, whether in motorsports or other sports.

Natalie Decker recently stole the spotlight following her controversial accident with Sam Mayer at Daytona. Now, she has talked about her personal life away from the grid, especially her love life. Decker surprisingly found love early on in her life, and the story of how she met her now-husband, Derek Lemke, is certainly a hilarious one.

Derek Lemke, who is four years older than Natalie Decker, also competed in the NASCAR Truck Series as a part-time driver. Decker recalled her story of how she first met Lemke and fell in love with him at first sight. The couple met many years ago, when she was just 14 years of age, and her now husband was 18. The #35 driver precisely remembers how her first interaction with the now 32-year-old took place.

Natalie Decker recalled that she went to Derek Lemke’s home track in Elko, Wisconsin, when she was just 14 years old. She saw Lemke on the track, waiting to get his pass checked, while she dreamed about marrying him already because of how he presented himself. However, Decker was disappointed to find out that it might not work out for her since he was 18 years old and she was still a minor.

I was 14 years old, and I went to his home track at Elko [Wisc.]. And he was a few people in front of me in line checking in to get your pit pass, And he was wearing a baby blue Bauer hat, a hockey brand, backwards. This isn’t gonna work. He’s 18, I’m 14.

Natalie Decker said on the Speedway Sessions podcast.

However, the universe had other plans as Natalie Decker and Derek Lemke once again met each other a year later at an Oktoberfest. Decker was full in love with the 18-year-old and was crushing on him hard. Fate worked out well for her as Lemke was the one to slide into the former’s DMs with a hilarious message. The #35 driver revealed that her now husband asked her to text when she turned 18 years old, so they did not have to worry about age being a barrier.

The whole year goes by, and now we’re at Oktoberfest at the end of the season. I think he’s the coolest guy. I think he’s so cute. I’m crushing on him hard, and I’m just like this little girl to him at this point, (Lemke texts) Call me when you’re 18. And I said, ‘Bet. I will.’

Natalie Decker added.

Natalie Decker opens up about her dreams with son Levi’s career ambitions

Natalie Decker is a very ambitious person, and once she fell in love, she never looked or turned back from it. Now, the couple has a son to honor and prove their love to the world, not that they need to. Decker isn’t only a cool wife but also a great mom, as she isn’t concerned about what her son Levi pursues in his career.

Natalie Decker (via Imagn)
Natalie Decker (via Imagn)

Speaking about her son’s future, Natalie Decker noted that if he were to pursue a career in motorsports, especially NASCAR, she would love it. However, she clarified that if Levi wanted to go for golf, hockey, or any other sport for that matter, she did not care about it. Decker reiterated that it would be cool to see her son go for a motorsport career. Ultimately, all she cared about was spending time with her family and keeping her circle really small.

If he wants to, I would love it, He can play golf; he can play hockey. I don’t care. I just want him to love something, but racing would be really cool. I always just want to be involved with my family more than anything. And I feel like we keep our circle really, really small.

Natalie Decker noted.

Certainly, it is always endearing and heartwarming to listen to such lovely stories of couples falling in love and finding each other. Natalie Decker has a great support system behind her, including her husband, Derek Lemke. He will continue to support Decker no matter the circumstances and the outside noise. Hence, it will be interesting to witness how she performs in the upcoming races and prove her racing mettle.

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