Daniel Dye at Talladega – Motorsport America Photo
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Daniel Dye will make his return this Saturday at Kansas Speedway, per the entry list revealed by ARCA on Tuesday. Dye will compete in the ARCA Menards Series Tide 150, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for SPS Racing.
This will be the 22-year-old’s first start since being reinstated from his suspension from NASCAR on March 31. NASCAR and Kaulig Racing suspended Dye on March 17 for making insensitive comments about IndyCar Series driver David Malukas & IndyCar owner Roger Penske on a Whatnot livestream. Dye mocked and imitated Malukas’ voice, referring to it as a “gay voice.” Dye announced his resignation from Kaulig on the day his suspension was lifted. Dye’s return comes after completing mandated sensitivity training tied to his controversial comments last month.
This is the second time Dye has been suspended. When he was 18 and racing in the ARCA series when he was arrested at a Dayona Beach, Florida high school and charged with felony battery for approaching a classmate and punching the student in the groin. The victim was treated at a hospital for a potential ruptured testicle.
Dye said it was a game and he’d be exonerated. Instead, he was indefinitely suspended by ARCA. Dye was reinstated when the charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.
The 24-year-old Malukas is known to be in a relationship with Kamila Jurkus, a model and civil engineer. Jurkus is a former Miss Illinois USA pageant contestant that graduated from the University of Alabama in 2023 with a degree in civil engineering. Jurkus works as a senior business development and customer success manager at HMD Transport, the logistics company owned by Malukas’ father, Henry Malukas.
Dye released a statement saying, “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”
Daniel Dye’s time in a Kaulig truck came to an end after just three starts. His best finish was a P13 at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. Corey LaJoie has since taken over the driving duties in the No. 10 Ram 1500.
Dye has made 27 starts in ARCA. His first and only win to date came at Berlin Raceway in 2021, and he finished second in the points standings in 2022.