After his first full season in the ARCA Menards Series, Daniel Dye will make the move to the Craftsman Truck Series with GMS Racing for the 2023 season, the team announced Tuesday.
The 18-year-old, soon-to-be 19-year-old youngster has a lot of late model and ARCA races under his belt as he prepares for one of the biggest steps of his career.
“I am really thankful for the opportunity to drive the No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado RST for GMS Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023,” Dye said in a press release. “GMS Racing, their partners, and staff, are the best in the business, and to drive their Chevy trucks next season is something that I’ve dreamed of for a long time. I’m counting down the days to coming back here at Daytona to race under the lights.”
Team president Mike Beam is thrilled to have the prospect in his truck for the new season, hoping to add another championship-caliber driver to the long list of stars who have driven for the organization.
“It has truly been a pleasure watching Daniel progress so far in his relatively short time spent with the team,” Beam said in a release. “Since we signed him to our program, his dedication to learning the ins and outs of the sport has been top-notch. Early on, it was made clear to everyone that he has the talent to move up to the next level of competition. Now, with a full year of ARCA racing under his belt, the time has come to make that move. We are excited to be a part of his journey along with our partners at GM and Chevrolet, and look forward to SEEING what he can do during his rookie year competing in the Craftsman Truck Series.”
Despite his winless 2022 ARCA season, Dye was able to score 17 top-10s during the year in 20 races, the three other results being mechanical or crash related. The Florida native was so close to becoming champion but had to settle for second in the standings after an issue under the hood in the season finale at Toledo.
“It was really cool being able to race both [Nick] and Rajah [Caruth],” Dye said after the ARCA season finale. “They’re two good buddies of mine and we raced each other clean all year. There’s nothing bad between any of us, so congrats to those guys. They earned it just as much as we did to be in this position.”
Now the son of former Pro Late Model driver Randy Dye gets to head to the Truck Series sticking with his No. 43 that he has driven for so long. Dye started out in late models and in ARCA driving that famed number for Ben Kennedy Racing, and then regaining it back once Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing merged for 2022.
As for GMS, the team now has both Dye and veteran Grant Enfinger set for the 2023 season. The press release from GMS states that the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series organization will be expanding for the 2023 season and additional driver announcements will be forthcoming.
