Daniel Dye Bio
Daniel Wayne Dye (born December 4, 2003) is an American professional stock car racing driver from DeLand, Florida. He has competed across the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and the NASCAR Cup Series. Over the course of his young career, Dye has built a reputation as a determined late-model graduate who has worked his way through the stock car ladder with GMS Racing, McAnally–Hilgemann Racing, Kaulig Racing, and other organizations.
Dye first gained national attention in the ARCA Menards Series, where he earned Rookie of the Year honors and challenged for a series title. He has since moved between NASCAR’s three national touring divisions, logging top-ten finishes in both the Truck Series and the Xfinity ranks while continuing to develop his craft on tracks of every shape and size.
Early Life and Background
Daniel Wayne Dye was born on December 4, 2003, in DeLand, Florida, and grew up in the Central Florida racing community. He is the son of Stacy Rumbaugh and Randy Dye, a Daytona Beach businessman who owns Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram and Maserati Alfa Romeo of Daytona. Randy Dye is a former Pro Late Model driver who has served on the board of directors for The NASCAR Foundation since July 2017, embedding the family in the sport at both the grassroots and the national level.
Through his father’s late-model background, Dye was exposed to short-track racing at a young age and began working his way up through the Florida stock car scene. He attended Father Lopez Catholic High School in Daytona Beach, balancing his schooling with an increasingly demanding racing schedule. His cousin is Major League Baseball player Josh Dye of the Kansas City Royals, giving the family a notable presence in professional sports beyond motorsports.
By his mid-teens, Dye had progressed through Pro Late Model competition, which served as the launching point for his NASCAR prospects. He paired that on-track development with a budding philanthropic profile. In 2018, ahead of his Pro Late Model debut, he launched the Race to Stop Suicide campaign in partnership with The NASCAR Foundation and Halifax Health, and by October 2019 he had personally raised and donated more than $15,000 toward Halifax Health’s mental health programs at just fifteen years old.
Path to NASCAR
Dye’s path to the national NASCAR stage began in the ARCA Menards Series East in 2020, when he made two starts for Ben Kennedy Racing. He returned to the East division in 2021 with a scheduled full-time ride, before switching to GMS Racing for the final four races of the season. Combined across both teams, he finished second in the final ARCA East standings behind Sammy Smith, an early sign of his championship-level pace.
He simultaneously ran a part-time ARCA Menards Series schedule in 2021 with GMS Racing. After finishing seventh in his debut at the 2021 Menards 250 at Elko, Dye dominated the next race at Berlin Raceway in the 2021 Zinsser SmartCoat 200, scoring his first ARCA Menards Series win in only his second series start. He also made a one-off appearance in the ARCA Menards Series West that year at Phoenix Raceway, finishing twelfth.
On October 25, 2022, GMS Racing announced that Dye would move up to compete full-time in the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado. That promotion formalized his transition from the ARCA ladder to NASCAR’s national touring level.
Daniel Dye Career
Early Career (2020-2022)
Dye’s earliest national series work came in the ARCA Menards Series East in 2020, where he made his debut with Ben Kennedy Racing at New Smyrna Speedway. He returned to the East division in 2021, splitting time between Ben Kennedy Racing and GMS Racing, and ultimately finished as the series runner-up. In 2022, he also made a pair of ARCA Menards Series West starts, including a runner-up finish in the companion event at Phoenix Raceway.
Across the mainline ARCA Menards Series, Dye ran a part-time schedule in 2021 with GMS Racing, posting a seventh-place debut at Elko before his breakthrough victory at Berlin Raceway. In 2022, he returned with a planned full-time GMS Racing effort in the No. 43, was suspended for three races, was reinstated before Kansas Speedway, and ultimately finished as the championship runner-up to Nick Sanchez by just fourteen points. He also captured ARCA Rookie of the Year honors ahead of Rajah Caruth, capping a developmental stretch that established him as one of stock car racing’s most promising young talents.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2021-2022)
Dye announced himself in the ARCA Menards Series in 2021 with GMS Racing, pairing a part-time national schedule with his East division commitments. After a learning-curve seventh-place finish on debut at the 2021 Menards 250 at Elko, he delivered a statement performance the very next week, dominating the 2021 Zinsser SmartCoat 200 at Berlin Raceway to take his first ARCA Menards Series win in only his second series start.
The 2022 season elevated his profile further. Despite a mid-season suspension and reinstatement after a felony battery charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, Dye returned to compete at Kansas Speedway, where he finished third, and stayed in the championship fight. A late mechanical issue at Toledo Speedway in the finale dropped him to eighteenth in that race and second in the final standings, just fourteen points behind Nick Sanchez. He was still recognized with the ARCA Rookie of the Year award, confirming his standing as one of the top stock car prospects of his class.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2023-2025)
Dye made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the 2023 NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona with GMS Racing in the No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado. The learning year gave him his first full season of national NASCAR competition and helped him adjust to the rigors of the truck schedule.
On September 27, 2023, McAnally–Hilgemann Racing announced it had signed Dye for 2024, and he continued with the No. 43. That season, he finished eighth at Richmond Raceway, a result that secured enough points to lock him into the playoffs, marking his first Truck Series postseason appearance. He closed 2024 with a career-best 10th-place finish in the final Truck Series standings, and his Truck Series totals include 11 top-ten finishes and 1 pole position across his career to date.
Kaulig Racing Era (2024-2025)
Dye first linked up with Kaulig Racing in 2024 for a partial NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro. On August 23, 2024, Kaulig Racing announced that he would pilot the No. 10 full-time in 2025, marking his first full national-series campaign at the Xfinity level.
His 2025 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season produced eight top-ten finishes and a 20th-place result in the final points standings, providing a solid foundation in stock car racing’s upper developmental tier. He has continued to be associated with Kaulig Racing through this period while also logging Craftsman Truck Series starts with McAnally–Hilgemann Racing.
NASCAR Cup Series (2026)
On April 20, 2026, it was announced that Dye would run five NASCAR Cup Series races in 2026, beginning with the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. He is driving the No. 78 for Live Fast Motorsports, giving him his first scheduled Cup Series starts at the top level of the sport. His Cup Series totals so far reflect 0 wins, 0 top tens, and 0 poles across his initial appearances.
Driving Style and Strengths
Dye’s background in Pro Late Models and short-track ARCA competition has shaped a versatile driving style that translates well across ovals of different shapes and sizes. He has shown particular strength on short tracks and intermediate ovals, where his late-model race craft and willingness to work lap traffic have produced consistent top-ten finishes in the Truck Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. His continued development has leaned on steady feedback with his crew chiefs and spotter network, and his ability to log clean, points-paying runs has helped him stay out of trouble on longer season schedules.
Notable Races and Milestones
Among the defining moments of Dye’s career is his first ARCA Menards Series win at Berlin Raceway in the 2021 Zinsser SmartCoat 200, scored in only his second series start. His 2022 ARCA Menards Series runner-up finish, his Truck Series playoff-clinching eighth-place run at Richmond in 2024, and his first scheduled Cup Series start at Talladega in 2026 each mark meaningful steps in his ascent through NASCAR’s national ranks.
Daniel Dye Career Wins
Daniel Wayne Dye has recorded one national-series win during his early stock car career, a victory that has anchored his resume as a rising talent in American motorsports. That win came in the ARCA Menards Series, while his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series totals are highlighted by consistent top-ten finishes rather than trips to Victory Lane.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Dye has one ARCA Menards Series win to his credit, captured at Berlin Raceway in the 2021 Zinsser SmartCoat 200 in just his second series start. He added 25 top-ten finishes and 2 pole positions across the ARCA Menards Series during his developmental years, and he finished as the championship runner-up in 2022 behind Nick Sanchez. He was also named the 2022 ARCA Rookie of the Year.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his ARCA Menards Series victory, Dye has piled up top-ten finishes across the ARCA Menards Series East, the ARCA Menards Series West, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. He finished second in the 2021 ARCA East standings with 10 top-tens, and added 2 top-tens and 1 pole in limited ARCA West starts, illustrating his ability to perform across multiple regional and national platforms.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARCA Menards Series | 1 | 25 | 2 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series West | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| NASCAR Cup Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Daniel Dye Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Dye is a second-generation racer whose career has been shaped by his father’s deep roots in the Florida stock car scene. His father, Randy Dye, is a former Pro Late Model driver and a Daytona Beach businessman who owns Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram and Maserati Alfa Romeo of Daytona, and has served on the board of directors for The NASCAR Foundation since July 2017. His mother is Stacy Rumbaugh, and through his father he is a cousin of Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball player Josh Dye.
Personal Life
Beyond his racing commitments, Dye has been active in charitable work, founding the Race to Stop Suicide campaign in partnership with The NASCAR Foundation and Halifax Health. In October 2019, at only fifteen years old, he personally raised and donated more than $15,000 to Halifax Health’s mental health programs, an early signal of his commitment to causes outside the cockpit.
2025 Season Performance
Daniel Dye’s 2025 campaign was anchored by his first full-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule with Kaulig Racing, where he drove the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro. He made the most of the opportunity, posting eight top-ten finishes and capping the year with a 20th-place result in the final O’Reilly Auto Parts Series points standings. The season gave him a full year of stock car racing at NASCAR’s second-highest level, a key step in his climb toward the Cup Series.
He also continued to log Craftsman Truck Series experience with McAnally–Hilgemann Racing in 2025, keeping his truck program sharp while splitting time between the two national series. On October 29, 2025, Kaulig Racing announced that Dye would join their Ram Trucks team in 2026, setting the stage for his transition to a manufacturer switch and a new chapter in the Truck Series.
Looking ahead, the 2025 results positioned Dye for a multi-series 2026 schedule that includes part-time Cup Series races with Live Fast Motorsports, Truck Series work, and additional ARCA Menards Series starts. The blend of full-time Xfinity experience and a Cup Series debut at Talladega gives him a clear runway to keep building on the consistency that has defined his early career.
