Natalie Decker posts medical update after being pulled from event

The NASCAR driver still isn’t medically cleared to resume racing

Last December, Natalie Decker had gallbladder surgery. In June, she missed a race at Pocono Raceway due to bile duct complications from that surgery.

Two weeks ago, 23-year-old Natalie Decker and the team were heading to the NASCAR Truck Series grid ahead of the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Suddenly, she was pulled from the race, just minutes ahead of the green flag.

Decker visited the infield care center. Where they ran tests and discovered high blood pressure. NASCAR wouldn’t clear her to race.

The following week at Talladega Superspeedway, Kaz Grala jumped behind the wheel of her machine. NASCAR still hadn’t cleared her to race.

Related: Natalie Decker not medically cleared to race Las Vegas

Natalie Decker on health issues

“I’m back on social media but not yet in a race car,” Decker stated in a social media video.

“I flew out there [to Vegas], I was feeling fine. Not the best, but ok. Race day came and I did not feel good at all.”

“I had a really high heart rate and really high blood pressure, and they did not want me going out in that race and putting the stress on my body and maybe having one get higher or too high and having me black out. So that is why they did not clear me.”

“Why they wouldn’t clear me still me for the next coming races was because they didn’t understand with being so young and healthy and in shape why my blood pressure was so high randomly.”

“So they wanted to run all these scary tests. An echo, an ECG that I wear at home for four days and a few other things.

“I was very terrified because there was a lot happening, a lot of testing being done, a lot of what ifs.”

After that race, Decker went absent from social media. But, she’s back.

“I’m back now because we have all those scary things ruled out.”

“So that’s the good news. The bad news is I’m still not cleared. I still have very high blood pressure and there’s something, maybe a medication or something, in my body right now making that happen, but it’s very minor.”

“It’s not something scary. So we’re going to figure that out in the next couple of days, cross my fingers, and then I will be medically cleared to come back and race.”

NASCAR still hasn’t medically cleared Decker to resume racing. The next NASCAR Truck Series event is scheduled for October 17th at Kansas Speedway.

Decker has run 11 of 19 NASCAR Truck Series races this year. She has one top five which she claimed in the opening race at Daytona.

Links

Natalie Decker | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | NASCAR

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