Daniel Dye will return to the NASCAR Truck Series this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing confirmed on Tuesday (May 26). It ends his three-month-long absence from the series following an indefinite suspension and subsequent departure from Kaulig Racing.
NASCAR suspended Dye in early 2026 after comments made during a livestream about IndyCar driver David Malukas were deemed a violation of the sanctioning body’s conduct policy. The 22-year-old completed sensitivity training and was reinstated by NASCAR. But he stepped away from Kaulig Racing, effectively ending his No. 10 Ram Truck run after just three races.
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With Dye’s seat at Kaulig filled by Corey LaJoie for the remainder of the season, his path back to the Truck Series was unclear for several weeks. McAnally-Hilgemann Racing resolved that by announcing on X:
“Next Up: @danieldye43 takes over the No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado RST starting @NashvilleSuperS🤘🏼”
Champion Container will serve as the primary sponsor for the four-race program. The schedule begins this Friday (May 29) at Nashville Superspeedway in the Allegiance 200 at 8:00 PM ET, followed by Michigan International Speedway on June 6. Then comes the Truck Series Playoff Race at Kansas Speedway on September 26 and the Ecosave 250 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 9.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing runs four trucks in 2026: Tyler Ankrum in the No. 18, Daniel Hemric in the No. 19, Kris Wright in the No. 81, and Christian Eckes in the No. 91, with Daniel Dye’s No. 20 adding a fifth entry for the four scheduled races.
Daniel Dye extends the Truck run after Cup Series return
The Truck Series confirmation adds to a Cup Series program that Daniel Dye had already locked in with Live Fast Motorsports for four races in 2026. BJ McLeod’s organization announced the No. 78 Chevrolet for Dye at four events. He has already run at Talladega, and will return to Pocono in June, Daytona in August, and Talladega again in October for the YellaWood 500.
That schedule is built primarily around superspeedways, with his Cup debut coming in the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega, where he finished 24th. The four Truck starts alongside those Cup appearances give Dye a meaningful schedule across both series in the back half of the season.
Dye’s formal reinstatement came after his public acknowledgment of what happened. In the apology he issued after the suspension, Dye addressed Malukas directly:
“I didn’t think enough before I spoke, and I in no way meant any harm. I know that intention does not erase impact, and I need to do better.”
Malukas, for his part, chose not to engage with the situation. When asked about it ahead of the IndyCar Long Beach weekend, he told reporters he had not seen any of it, did not know who Daniel Dye was, and had no thoughts on the matter. Both drivers have since moved forward in their respective series.
Edited by Anurup Chakraborty
