NASCAR and Kaulig Racing indefinitely suspended Daniel Dye, driver of the No. 10 RAM truck Tuesday afternoon (March 17). The move comes after a social media video surfaced where Dye made comments that could be construed as homophobic about Team Penske’s David Malukas.
The offending video showed Dye opening up packs of trading cards while discussing his experience during the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend. There, he met Malukas. In the video, which was posted on Whatnot (a livestream-based e-commerce platform), Dye used language in that NASCAR deemed unacceptable.
Specifically, he violated Section 4.3.C of the NASCAR Rule Book. That states in part, “…NASCAR Members shall not make … a public statement or communication that criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person’s race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition.”
Dye has been ordered to participate in sensitivity training. His return to the track is contingent on him completing the training in a satisfactory manner.
After the suspension was announced, Dye took to social media to apologize for his actions.
“I want to first apologize to David Malukas,” Dye wrote. I recently went on a live stream with some friends and made some careless comments. I chose my words poorly, and I understand why it upset people. I’m sorry to anyone that was offended. That’s not how I want to represent myself.
Dye continued on to state that he is taking the situation seriously and working on improving his awareness. He also noted that he knows that he has a platform as a public figure and that he needs to use it better.
This is not the first time that Dye has been indefinitely suspended from racing. Back in 2022, Dye, then a high school student in Daytona Beach, Fla., was arrested and charged with felony battery after hitting a fellow student in the privates.
That charge was ultimately reduced to a misdemeanor. In July of 2022, the charges were dismissed after Dye agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement. According to FOX 35 Orlando, the agreement included an eight-hour anger management course, 25 hours of community service, and an undisclosed amount of restitution paid to the victim.
As of now, Dye is 13th in Craftsman Truck Series points with a best finish of 13th at Atlanta. He is third of the four full-time RAM drivers for Kaulig Racing. He is also part-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for AM Racing, where his best finish was 15th last weekend in Las Vegas.
Kaulig Racing has not named a replacement driver for Friday night’s Buckle Up South Carolina 200 at Darlington. That driver will be made public later this week.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the Frontstretch email newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the Frontstretch Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.