NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Daniel Dye has been indefinitely suspended by both NASCAR and his Kaulig Racing team for attempting to mock IndyCar driver David Malukas on a livestream.
Dye was opening racing cards on the video and changed his inflections when he was talking before he referred to Malukas.
“As soon I start doing a David Malukas gay voice I get a gold, so let’s keep it going,” Dye said. The comments came after he talked about meeting Malukas and asking a question about the type of tracks where IndyCar raced.
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As the video gained traction on social media on Tuesday, Kaulig said that Dye had been suspended. He then took to social media himself to issue a statement apologizing for what he did. In his apology, Dye said that he “didn’t think enough before I spoke” and that he “in no way meant any harm.”
“I want to first apologize to David Malukas,” the statement said. “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 who was offended. That’s not how I want to represent myself.
“I have some close friends in the LGBTQ+ community who I would never want to feel less of themselves because of what I said, and that’s exactly why I should hold myself to a higher standard. In talking with them, I realize that a true friend would know better than to act the way I did and for that I need to be a better friend. What I said doesn’t reflect how I feel about them or anyone else.”
Truck Series driver Brent Crews was also in the video, but had moved away from Dye and did not participate in any attempts to mock Malukas. Per NASCAR rules, Dye must complete sensitivity training before he can be reinstated.
Dye, 22, is in his fourth season in NASCAR’s national series. After running two seasons in the Truck Series in 2023 and 2024, he moved to the Xfinity Series with Kaulig in 2025 and finished 20th in the points standings. As Kaulig joined forces with Ram in the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR, Dye moved back to the Truck Series for the 2026 season and has an average finish of 15.7 over the first three races of the season.
The next Truck Series race is Saturday in Darlington.
In 2022, while he was racing in the fourth-tier ARCA Series, Dye was arrested on a felony battery charge after he hit a high school classmate in the groin. The charge was dismissed months later after Dye agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement
Malukas, 25, is in his fifth IndyCar season and ranks sixth in the points standings through the first three races of the season. He was hired at Team Penske to replace longtime driver Will Power ahead of 2026. Before driving for Penske, who also fields a team in NASCAR’s Cup Series, Malukas drove for A.J. Foyt Racing and finished second in the 2025 Indianapolis 500.
