Daniel Dye started the 2026 NASCAR season as a full-time driver for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, as they dropped their O'Reilly Auto Parts Series team, where he had spent the 2025 season, to fully embrace Ram's return to NASCAR with the trucks.
He lost his ride after an off-track controversy, but after having run the first few races of the Truck Series season and select O'Reilly Series races with AM Racing, which later shut down, he was able to land a part-time Cup Series ride with Live Fast Motorsports.
Team owner B.J. McLeod had been behind the wheel of the No. 78 car for all 30 of the superspeedway/drafting races (including the two DNQs) that had been contested since the team entered the series in 2021, but that streak came to an end when he turned the reins over to Dye at Talladega Superspeedway in April. Dye finished in 24th.
Daniel Dye finished in NASCAR Cup Series for 2026
He has run four races since then, and aside from his crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he has not finished lower than 29th in a No. 78 Chevrolet that has been generally known to run outside the top 30.
He made his fifth and final Cup Series start of the season at Talladega and finished 25th this past weekend, and he doesn't have any other starts lined up in the Truck Series or O'Reilly Series this year either.
Dye was able to get back to the Truck Series for a few races with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing after his split from Kaulig Racing, and he was able to get back to the O'Reilly Series for a few races with Jordan Anderson Racing following AM Racing' shutdown. He is set to run full-time for Jordan Anderson Racing next year.
The No. 78 Chevrolet isn't on the entry list at all this weekend at Martinsville Speedway, and as of now, the team have no plans to enter it in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend, but it would not be surprising to see the team's relationship with Dye remain intact for another partial schedule in 2027.
Live coverage of the Xfinity 500 is set to be provided by NBC from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, November 1. Start a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss any of the action from the penultimate race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series postseason!
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