Dye Building Momentum As Mental Health Month Begins

Daniel Dye debuted a new Race to Stop Suicide paint scheme Saturday at Kansas Speedway. (Daylon Barr Photography)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Daniel Dye and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing are building momentum at the right time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, starting a crucial stretch of five straight races.

Dye is coming off a season-best finish of sixth at Texas Motor Speedway three weeks ago, earning his second top 10 of the year after only having one such finish in the entire 2023 season.

It may be a turning point for Dye, who sits just five points back of the playoff cut line after seven of 16 regular season races for the Truck Series.

“Our Race to Stop Suicide Silverado is quick right now, and we’ve got some good momentum from Texas … so now it’s about keeping that dog in me and fighting to stay up front,” Dye said Saturday at Kansas Speedway. “We want to collect stage points [every week] and fight to be in this playoff battle.”

That fight starts with qualifying week-in and week-out, where Dye has excelled so far this season.

He earned his first career Truck Series pole at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in February and has started inside the top 10 in five of the first seven races.

Despite the fact that the results haven’t always panned out on paper just yet, that kind of consistent speed is what’s keeping Dye optimistic that he’ll be in the top five sooner, rather than later.

“We’re putting stronger runs together more often,” tipped Dye, whose Texas finish tied his Truck Series career best. “These guys on our Race to Stop Suicide Chevrolet have been doing a great job bringing fast trucks to the track, and that’s definitely shown with how well we’ve qualified.”

Daniel Dye (Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It’s also an important month for Dye, who has championed mental health awareness since his earliest days in racing and debuted a special Race to Stop Suicide paint scheme on his No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado RST ahead of Saturday night’s Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway.

The new look features a black base with teal and purple accents, highlighting the colors of the suicide awareness ribbon for Mental Health Awareness Month, which has been observed throughout the month of May since 1949.

Dye has consistently noted that it’s a cause close to his heart, reminding those that he talks to that “everyone has five minutes” to be there for someone in need.

“Our mission has always been the same,” said Dye, who lost his cousin Luke to suicide on Feb. 2, 2022. “We want to try and help as many people as we can. Our Race to Stop Suicide effort is very focused, and it did hit close to home for me a couple of years ago. That feeling was something that I’d never experienced … having a family member lose that battle, and it was a reminder that depression and suicidal thoughts can affect anyone.

“They might be affecting people who are struggling to reach out for support, so it’s important for people to check on those around them and those they care about, because you never know how much you’ll help someone by supporting and being there for them in a time of need.”

Dye starts sixth at Kansas, his sixth top-10 start of the season, and feels confident about his chances to contend as he continues to use his platform for a greater purpose.

“I think qualifying was decent for us,” he said. “We may have left a little bit on the table, just from being too free on that lap. We were too tight in practice, took a swing at it, and just went a little too far. We’ll figure it out, though.

“If we can get the front end turning a little bit better and not have to fight so hard in dirty air, I think we’ll be alright.”

Broadcast coverage of the Heart of America 200 airs at 8 p.m. ET, live on FS1, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mental Health Awareness Month continues through May 31. For anyone struggling with mental health, help is available 24 hours a day through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988.