NASCAR on Tuesday indefinitely suspended Daniel Dye — a second major penalty against the young driver — after he used what he called a "gay voice" to mock another racer during a livestream.
The 22-year-old Dye was opening trading cards as another person on the stream said IndyCar driver David Malukas "plays for the other team," leading to the offending, homophobic ridicule.
Dey responded in what he called his "David Malukas gay voice."
"It's like 'Oh my gosh, we race Indianapolis. Love Indianapolis and Roger Penske, I love Roger, love you Roger,'" said Dye, heightening the inflection of his voice and bobbing his head in mocking fashion.
Those comments ran afoul of NASCAR rules that bar members from making any statement that “criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person’s race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition,” the organization said.
Dye drives in NASCAR's third-flight Craftsman Truck Series, a developmental level below the top Cup Series and second-flight O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
He's in 13th place after three starts in this young season. Dye's Kaulig Racing also suspended him.
Malukas, a 24-year-old son of Lithuanian immigrants, races in the top-flight NTT IndyCar Series. He’s currently in sixth place with a career-first pole and a pair of top 10 finishes.
Dye apologized and admitted fault on social media.
“I chose my words poorly and I understand why it upset people,” Dye said in a statement. “I’m sorry to anyone who was offended. That’s now I want to represent myself."
Dye said he needs to be "a better friend" to the community.
“I have some close friends in the LBGT+ community who 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," Dye continued. "In talking with them, I realized that a true friend would know better than to act the way I did and for that I need to be a better friend.”
This is Dye's second major suspension. The 18-year-old was taken off the oval in 2022 for allegedly punching a high school classmate in the groin, leading to a felony charge that was reduced to a misdemeanor before eventually being dropped.
