NASCAR drivers poking at each other is not uncommon, as there are multiple instances of drivers pulling the legs of rivals. However, for Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Dye, it was not a simple roast or dig. As per recent developments, he went too far with his joke, and his team had no choice but to fire him with immediate effect.

Daniel Dye landed himself on hot water

Daniel Dye landed himself in big trouble after the Kaulig Racing driver poked fun at homosexuality, leading to his dismissal. His team, Kaulig Racing, took cognizance of the incident and suspended him.

Sharing the update, Kaulig Racing wrote on X,

“Kaulig Racing has indefinitely suspended driver Daniel Dye, effective immediately, after becoming aware today of comments he made on social media.”

The shocking move by Kaulig comes after a video of him playing cards went viral. In the video, Dye was making fun of IndyCar David Malukas, resorting to objectionable actions, leading to a poke at homosexuality.

It fetched enormous reactions from fans all over the world. As a result, the team took disciplinary action. Sharing his thoughts on it, and at the same time apologizing, Dye, who drives under part-time obligation for Kaulig, stated:

“I want to first apologize to David Malukas. 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. 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. I’m taking this seriously and working on being more aware and respectful moving forward. I’m sorry to everyone | let down.”

“I am committed to learning from this and better understanding that the impact that my decisions can have on others. That includes educating myself, listening to those affected, and taking meaningful steps to ensure my actions reflect respect and inclusivity going forward. I know I’ve got a platform and a responsibility, and I need to use it better,” Daniel Dye stated.

Notably, this wasn’t the first time Dye was involved in a controversy. Earlier in 2022, he was arrested and charged with a felony battery for punching a high school classmate. Dye was 18 years old at the time, and he hit his classmate from Father Lopez Catholic High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, in the groin.

As a result, ARCA suspended the driver indefinitely for violation of safety and behavior guidelines (but he was reinstated after two weeks). Prosecutors reduced the third-degree felony charge to a misdemeanor, and Dye had to go through a community and anger management course.

While Dye barely saved himself from being permanently banned from facing long-time consequences, it wasn’t the case for Kyle Larson.

When Kyle Larson crossed the line in NASCAR

During an invitational racing event on April 12, 2020, Kyle Larson was mic testing, thinking he was in a private communication channel. However, while checking, he used the N-word, and it was immediately broadcast to all the viewers on public live platforms.

This brought him enormous criticism, and Chip Ganassi Racing (Larson raced for now defunct CGR at the time) immediately suspended the driver without pay, and then sacked him the very next day. CGR condemned Larson’s behavior, calling it offensive and unacceptable.

“I was rightly suspended by NASCAR,” Larson wrote. ” I jeopardized the livelihoods of the crew members who had poured their careers into building me fast racecars. My fans were upset. In an instant, I turned a lot of lives upside down and destroyed my own reputation.”

Notably, NASCAR also suspended Larson after a few days. Given the sensitivity of the issue at the time, with Black Lives Matter, and other inclusivity, one would expect Larson to be more careful.