Daniel Dye, who was indefinitely suspended on March 17 for homophobic comments made about NTT IndyCar Series driver David Malukas, has been reinstated, NASCAR confirmed in a penalty report on Tuesday.
The Deland, Florida-native began the season as a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 10 RAM 1500 for Kaulig Racing. However, Dye says that he is stepping away from that role.
“I’m incredibly thankful for my time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and for the chance to compete for Kaulig Racing alongside some of the most passionate fans in motorsports,” Dye said in a statement posted to social media. “At this time, I am stepping away from that role.”
Kaulig Racing has since accepted Dye’s resignation and says “we wish him great success in the pursuit of his personal and professional goals.”
Dye continued, “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.”
The 22-year-old driver will be permitted to return to NASCAR National Series competition, effective immediately.
“Now that I’m reinstated, I’m optimistic about what the future holds and look forward to working hard at my next opportunity,” Dye added. “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.”
Shortly after confirmation of Dye’s reinstatement became public, Kaulig Racing shared that NASCAR National Series veteran Corey LaJoie has been tapped to pilot the No. 10 RAM 1500 for the remainder of the 2026 campaign, starting this weekend at Rockingham Speedway.
“The last couple months, I’ve missed the grind of working towards a goal of success on track. 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 of teams from the ground up and achieving 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.”
Corey LaJoie will take over the No. 10 @RamTrucks 1500 for the remainder of the 2026 @NASCAR_Trucks season while Ty Dillon will step into the No. 25 Ram 1500 this weekend at Rockingham.
?: https://t.co/WB6PW34YKV pic.twitter.com/Xi33LOhDh9
— Kaulig Trucks (@Kaulig_Trucks) March 31, 2026
LaJoie was originally scheduled to drive the Kaulig Racing “Free Agent Truck” this weekend at Rockingham Speedway, but will shift over to the No. 10 RAM 1500. Ty Dillon, one of Kaulig Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series drivers, will pilot the No. 25 at Rockingham Speedway, instead.
“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 Chris Rice, chief executive officer of Kaulig Racing. “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.”
The Black’s Tire 200 will take place on Friday, April 3, at 7:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1, NASCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
