By Luis Torres, Staff Writer/Photographer
Following a three-week suspension for making homophobic remarks towards another driver, Daniel Dye was reinstated by NASCAR Tuesday.
Dye, who was suspended indefinitely for poking fun of NTT IndyCar Series driver David Malukas’ voice at a Whatnot livestream, has completed the required sensitivity training to return to the sport.
However, the 22-year-old Floridian will no longer be driving for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
In a press release, Dye remarked that he’ll be stepping away from his role and is thankful for the opportunity of his time driving for the organization that lasted three races with a 13th place in Atlanta being his best result.
“NASCAR has played a meaningful role in my development, and I don’t take that opportunity lightly,” said Dye.
“After a lot of honest self-reflection and guidance, from mentors I trust, I’ve decided the smartest move for my career is to realign my focus on my long-term objective of becoming a successful driver at the highest level of stock car racing.
“Now that I’m reinstated, I’m optimistic about what the future holds and look forward to working hard at my next opportunity.
“This sport and its fans mean everything to me, and I can’t wait to get back to it focused on the real goal more than ever.”
The team announced minutes later that Corey LaJoie will take over the No. 10 Dodge RAM 1500 for the remainder of the season, beginning Friday at Rockingham Speedway (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1).
Kaulig Racing CEO Chris Rice chose LaJoie in large part of having experience on the sport’s national level for over a decade and provided valuable input when he drove the No. 25 truck at Darlington Raceway where he finished 21st.
“We selected Corey because of his extensive experience in just about every series in NASCAR and how well he worked with our organization at Darlington when he drove the No. 25,” said Rice.
“He brings the skill, maturity and work ethic we need to get our RAM program where it needs to be. We think he’ll help us speed that development and battle for checkered flags. We’re confident he’s the right driver to help us.”
At the beginning of last year, the 34-year-old racer criticized the idea of running in NASCAR’s lower division after his four-year stint at Spire Motorsports’ Cup program had ended.
Among the comments he made included not being interested in running in front of 12 people, which drew some backlash among the motorsports community.
Since then, LaJoie has changed his stance on running in either Trucks or O’Reilly to the point where he’s missed the grind of working towards a successful goal at the races.
“There’s certainly a lot of work ahead of us getting our RAM trucks to a place where we compete for wins but with the people in the Kaulig Racing building, I believe we will get there” said Lajoie.
“I really appreciate the confidence Kaulig Racing and RAM have in me. I have been a part of building a couple teams from the ground up and getting success and I will bring that experience to help Kaulig get to their potential on a quicker path.
“I love what Kaulig and RAM are doing to promote the Truck Series and the sport. It will be a fun challenge to be a part of.”
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