The NASCAR Truck Series, after a long haul, finally resumed at the Bristol Motor Speedway. And it was Layne Riggs, causing the upset yet again! First, he won the first playoff race at the Milwaukee Mile, denying all the 10 playoff drivers a direct spot in round 8. And now he has bagged another win at Bristol. While it was a good day for the majority of the playoff drivers, Daniel Dye cannot say the same.

Competing in his first playoffs, the youngster had a good run at Milwaukee, where he finished 8th. This had him +9 points above the cut-off line entering the Bristol race, but his contact with Kaden Honeycutt has his playoff run hanging in the balance. In the post-race interview, the #43 was so frustrated that he did not even wish to know how many points he lost in the playoff standings.

Daniel Dye left frustrated after the Bristol race

Entering the race, Daniel Dye was hopeful of bagging a top 10 after he started the race from P7. Hopes were even higher, since in the first Bristol race of the season, the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver had a 13th-place finish. However, he failed to better or repeat it. In the last race, Dye made contact with Kaden Honeycutt after he got a flat tire. While Dye was trying to control the car, Honeycutt had nowhere to go, ending his race with a DNF. Dye went to pit road, got the tire changed but again blew it near the end of the race. He eventually finished 32nd and six laps down.

This left him frustrated as he needed a good points finish to continue his playoff campaign. In the post-race interview, he talked about what unfolded on the track. He said, “Two flat tires. Had probably top 10 speed all day, obviously ran something over and launched the right rear and later on in the night we lost another right rear. Sucks that Kaden got caught up in it. I was trying to get to the bottom and get out of the way. I would probably imagine I slowed down so much that the right rear popped and I just lost all that and smoked him (Kaden Honeycutt), so that’s on me.” 

After a 32nd-place finish, he is 9th in the ranking and -7 points below the cutoff line. However, he didn’t care as he was hoping for a good finish in the final race of the round of 10. Speaking about missing out on the points, he said, “I don’t even wanna know what it is. We just go to Kansas, run good, both stages, and win the race.”

As for Honeycutt, even though he is a non-playoff driver, one would expect him to also be frustrated. But to the opposite, he was calm and understanding about how the wreck was unavoidable for Dye. They both talked it out after the race.

On the same lines, Honeycutt said, “I talked to Daniel about it. You know it really sucks – we were at Bristol and just always something happening here. He came up on me so fast, and I knew he was trying to get out of the way. I hated that it was us…Unfortunately, I have to go to Kansas, and we are in a must-win spot. So we’ll try to do that and get ourselves in the owners’ playoffs for round 2.”

For both the drivers, Kansas is a must-win race. In the past, Kansas has treated Dye well, and he even has a good finish there this season. The #43 driver was 9th in the first Bristol race of this season. And in the three races that he’s raced there so far, his average finish has been 15, whereas his average start has been 13. So there are still chances for Dye to qualify in the round of 8 and continue his last Truck Series playoff campaign.

Daniel Dye is going to the Xfinity Series!

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This won’t be Dye’s debut into Xfinity as he’s already been racing as a part-time driver for Kaulig Racing in the Series. So far he has had nine starts from 2023, when he made his debut on the Texas track. Out of the nine races, he raced two in 2023 and seven in 2024 and has also managed twice to finish in the top 10. Based on his performance, Kaulig decided to field him for a full-time season next year, where he will be piloting the #10 car. Dye is among the long list of youngsters to watch out for in the 2025 Xfinity season.

Kaulig’s president, Chris Rice, is confident in the youngster’s potential. He had previously said, “Daniel has done a really great job for our team this season. He is invested in our program and putting in the time and effort to keep getting better. I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with him throughout the season, and we’re looking forward to having him with us full-time in 2025.”

Even Dye is stoked with the promotion. After Kaulig made the announcement, he said, “I’ve really enjoyed driving the Xfinity car this year. And I’m excited for the opportunity to continue working with Kaulig Racing in 2025. It’s been a fun experience learning the car and trying to navigate the different feeling compared to the truck. I’m looking forward to finishing out the season, running for the Truck Championship, and making the most of my remaining races in the No. 10.”

In the Xfinity Series, Dye will be joining his Truck series competitor, Christian Eckes, who will be driving the #16 car for Kaulig next year making his debut. How do you think the duo will fare in the Xfinity next year? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.