NASCAR suspends Daniel Dye after mockery of IndyCar’s Malukas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR driver Daniel Dye was suspended Tuesday — the second known major penalty of his racing career — for mocking IndyCar driver David Malukas during a recent live broadcast.

In the video, which circulated on social media on Tuesday, Dye used voices, including imitating Malukas’ voice, which had implications about Malukas’ sexuality.

Dye is a Truck Series driver for Kaulig Racing, which also suspended him. NASCAR ordered Dye to undergo sensitivity training.

He apologized to Malukas in a social media post, calling his comments “careless.”

“I chose my words poorly and I understand why this upset people,” he wrote. “I’m sorry to anyone who was offended. That’s not how I want to portray myself.

“I have close friends in the LBGTQ+ community who I would never want to be made to feel less than because of what I said, and that is exactly why I should hold myself to a higher standard.”

He said conversations with these friends made him realize that “a true friend knew better than to act the way I did.”

Malukas, a 24-year-old driver for Team Penske, often posts photos on social media with a girlfriend.

This is the second time Dye has been suspended.

He was 18 and racing in the ARCA Series when he was arrested at a high school in Daytona Beach, Florida, and charged with battery for approaching a classmate and hitting the student in the groin. The victim was treated at hospital for a possible ruptured testicle.

Dye said it was a game and he would be exonerated. He was instead suspended indefinitely by ARCA, which is owned by NASCAR. Dye was reinstated when the charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.

In his third full season in the Truck Series, Dye joined Kaulig Racing this year to drive for Ram in the automaker’s return to NASCAR. In three races, his best finish was 13th in Atlanta.

Dye raced in St. Petersburg, Florida, in the Truck Series when NASCAR combined its third-tier series with the IndyCar season opener. Malukas made his debut for Team Penske this weekend.