WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) — A race car driver from the Wausau area is raising awareness about bullying. Natalie Decker, who is now living in North Carolina participating in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program still gets to come home to Wisconsin for about 18 races a year. She’s at her home track Thursday, which is State Park Speedway.
State Park Speedway has their season championships Thursday night, along with their Fighting Cancer Full Throttle 60 event. Natalie’s aunt Sue Decker says a third reason to go to the races is to put a stop to bullying. “We’ve always wanted to do a race for a cause. We just didn’t know what we wanted to do, and then back at the ARCA race in Kaukauna, we started discussing a bullying campaign, and perhaps calling it, ‘Racers against bullying’, so with all of the media right now about how the schools are implementing programs against bullying, the crew chief Tom Rust suggested that we do this for Johnny (Wesener).”
Jonathan Wesener is the 16-year-old Edgar student and football player that took his own life in May after being bullied. Wesener’s family has been invited to the track, with pit passes as guests of the Wimmer family, which operates State Park Speedway.
Decker says many of the drivers will have anti-bullying stickers on their cars. “We have made stickers that can be purchased. We’re hoping the drivers will purchase them when they come in and they’ll be $5.00. They’ll put them on their cars and race for Johnny.”
Decker says the crowd will also have an opportunity to get the stickers. She says it’s one way everyone can raise awareness about bullying and show the Wesener family they’re not alone in this battle. “You know you can of course, not change anything, and you can’t take away the pain that that family is going through, but perhaps you can ease it just knowing there’s other people out there that they may not even know that do care.”
The fan gates open at 4:30 p.m. followed by qualifying at 6:00 p.m. and racing at 7:00 p.m. Many drivers including Natalie Decker will be in the pit area after the races to greet the fans.
(Listen to our interview with Sue Decker on our website, here.)
