Daniel Dye is coming back from being suspended in a very big way, as he's set to attempt to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut this Sunday at Talladega.
LINCOLN, Ala. — Daniel Dye is coming back from being suspended in a very big way.
Dye will attempt to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, driving the No. 78 Team LiveFast Chevrolet. It's part of a deal that will also include Pocono in June, Daytona in August and Talladega in October.
Dye's Cup Series debut will mark his first NASCAR national series start since being suspended March 17 over his inflammatory remarks on a livestream about NTT INDYCAR Series driver David Malukas.
After the suspension, Kaulig Racing released Dye from his full-time ride in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
NASCAR reinstated Dye two weeks later but he hasn't made any national series starts since then. His only start within the NASCAR realm was Saturday in the ARCA Menards Series at Kansas Speedway. He finished second after leading 16 of 108 laps.
Dye's No. 78 Chevrolet is one of a handful of open entries trying to make the Cup race at Talladega.
NY Racing Team also named Joey Gase to its No. 44 Chevrolet for the weekend Monday. Garage 66 will have Casey Mears in its No. 66 Ford as the veteran sets his sights on 500 Cup starts. Richard Childress Racing is also entering NOAPS standout Jesse Love in its No. 33 Chevrolet.
If there are any more open entries, at least one team will not make the race. That means Dye may have to qualify on time for his Cup debut after his suspension.
This isn't the first time Dye has been suspended for his off-track actions and then returned to competition very soon. In 2022, ARCA suspended him as he faced felony battery charges for allegedly punching a high school classmate in the groin and causing an injury. ARCA reinstated him after the charges were dropped not longer after that.
Dye has made six NASCAR national series starts this season. His most recent start was March 14 in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Las Vegas. He finished 15th.
Overall in his career, Dye has a Truck Chase appearance in 2024 and an ARCA Menards Series win at Berlin in 2021.
Team LiveFast has made two starts so far this season, each with team owner BJ McLeod at the wheel. He finished 41st at Daytona and 35th at EchoPark Speedway Atlanta after a crash in each race.