AJ Allmendinger to replace Daniel Dye, making first Truck oval start in 18 years

Kaulig Racing will put A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel of the #10 Kaulig Racing Ram 1500 at Darlington Raceway this weekend, replacing Daniel Dye.

Dye was indefinitely suspended by NASCAR and Kaulig for mocking IndyCar driver David Malukas with a homophobic voice on a recent livestream, making inappropriate inferences about the Penske driver's sexuality.

He has since apologized and will have to undergo sensitivity training. 

The team has named A.J. Allmendinger as the replacement driver for the upcoming Darlington weekend. A long-time driver for Kaulig, he has three Cup wins and 18 O'Reilly wins in his career. However, he has limited experience in the Truck Series.

Allmendinger, 44, last raced a Truck in 2021 at Watkins Glen, and his most recent oval start came at Fontana over 18 years ago at the start of the 2008 season. This will be his 15th career start in Trucks, where he has a best finish of second at Charlotte in 2007.

In the O'Reilly Series, he has a pole position and a best finish of third at Darlington. In Cup, he finished fifth in last year's Southern 500 at the historic track.

“I got a call Tuesday night to race the #10 truck," said Allmendinger in a release from the team. "I'll always support Kaulig Racing and whatever they ask of me. I'm here to help, to learn and fully support everyone going into this weekend at Darlington Raceway.”

Kaulig's truck team is new in 2026, fielding five entries as part of Ram's long-awaited return to NASCAR. Along with fulltime drivers Brenden Queen (#12), Mini Tyrrell (#14), Justin Haley (#16), they will also have Corey LaJoie driving the #25 this weekend.