NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Daniel Dye has been suspended indefinitely following comments made on a livestream about IndyCar driver David Malukas. Dye mocked a past conversation with Malukas in which he adopted what he deemed his ‘David Malukas gay voice’.
The tone of Dye’s impression of Malukas was noticably high-pitched in a way commonly associated with negative sterotypes against the LGBTQ+ community. A voice off-screen at one point remarked that Malukas ‘played for the other team’.
The video of Dye mocking Malukas became widely distributed on Tuesday. The Kaulig Racing driver immediately faced backlash from those who called his remarks insensitive and homophobic. Both NASCAR’s sanctioning body and Kaulig Racing suspended Dye indefinitely Tuesday afternoon. He’ll be required to complete sensitivity training before returning to NASCAR competition.
The stream took place on the platform Whatnot alongside fellow NASCAR driver Brent Crews. As Dye began his remarks about Malukas, Crews stood up and appeared to remove himself from the conversation.
Reactions
As the news of Dye’s suspension was revealed, the 22-year-old posted an apology to his public Instagram account. “I chose my words poorly, and I understand why it upset people,” Dye wrote. “I’m sorry to anyone who was offended. That’s not how I want to represent myself.
— Daniel Dye (@danieldye43) March 17, 2026
Kaulig Racing also put out a statement at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The team revealed its decision to suspend Dye effective immediately. As of yet, Kaulig has given no details about a replacement driver in the No. 10 Ram, or the state of Dye’s future with the organization.
Dye has been a Kaulig Racing driver since the 2024 season, when he raced part-time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. He went full-time in 2025, and then switched to the Craftsman Truck Series for 2026 as Kaulig reintroduced Ram trucks to NASCAR competition.
Dye’s suspension is the second time he’s been disciplined as a result of off-track conduct. In April 2022 Dye was suspended indefinitely by the ARCA Menards Series after his arrest for felony battery at his Daytona Beach high school. He was reinstated the following month after the charges were dropped.
