Preview: NASCAR Truck 2020 season opens at Daytona

The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series gets underway at Daytona, as Natalie Decker enters her second Truck season. Jennifer Jo Cobb and Angela Ruch will also start their full-time campaigns.

Six days after the ARCA Menards race, Natalie Decker is ready for her comeback at Daytona International Speedway for the season opener of the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV Outdoors Truck Series.

Decker comes from a challenging Lucas Oil 200 event last weekend, where she was involved in a mid-race multiple car crash when she was running consistently in the top-10 positions. But the Wisconsin native will now have to leave everything behind, as she will now be onboard of her new team Niece Motorsports, which will field her #44 truck in a part-time schedule starting from the NextEra Energy 250 this Friday.

The upcoming championship will be the second season in the Truck division for the 22-year old racer. Decker tried to make her first ever start in the series in 2016 at Martinsville Speedway, but her debut came in 2019, as Natalie signed with DGR Crosley for a part-time campaign and started to build her experience.

Behind the wheel of the #54 Toyota truck, Natalie Decker collected 281 points throughout the season and finished P19 in the championship standings.

In 2019, the season opener at Daytona was not a lucky one for Decker, as her truck went on fire during the first lap of the race following a front-left tire failure that damaged the front-end of the vehicle.

She later took 19 starts out of the 23 NASCAR Gander RV Outdoors Truck Series rounds, signing seven top-20 finishes, a 14th place in Chicagoland Speedway and a thirteenth place in Las Vegas as her best results.

Now, with more experience under her belt, Decker is ready to continue her progresses with a new team, alongside teammates such as Ty Majeski and Ross Chastain.

Furthermore, her positive record at the Florida venue of Daytona might result in a promising start of the season for Decker, who won here an historical pole position in the ARCA race in 2018.

“I’m super excited for my first race with Niece and to be at Daytona,” - said Natalie.

“I love the atmosphere that comes with racing at Daytona and can’t wait to wheel my No. 44 N29 Technologies and Far Out Toys Chevy Silverado!”

Decker will be supported by long-time partner N29 Technologies, joined this weekend by Far Out Toys, a global toy manufacturer: “We are thrilled to partner with Natalie Decker as she represents Far Out Toys and our NASCAR Adventure Force Crash Racers set in Daytona," - commented Keith Meggs, CEO of the company. "We know lots of kids are looking forward to meeting her in the Adventure Force Kids Zone this weekend!"

The lady from Eagle River will not be the only woman on track: she will in fact be joined by Jennifer Jo Cobb and Angela Ruch. Jo Cobb, an experienced NASCAR driver, will start her 13th Truck series season at the wheel of the #10 self-owned Chevrolet truck.

Ruch is also set to run a full-time campaign in the Truck championship in 2020, driving the #00 Chevrolet Silverado with the support of Reaume Brothers Racing.

Angela also made her Truck debut in Daytona last year and became the first women to lead a lap in the series history.

The NextEra Energy 250, first round of the NASCAR Gander RV Outdoors Truck Series, will go green from Daytona International Speedway on Friday February 14th at 7.30 PM ET.

In Natalie's words:

"I love the atmosphere that comes with racing at Daytona"

Ph Credits: Natalie Decker twitter