Dye Delivers Career-Best Weekend in Atlanta

Venue: Atlanta Motor Speedway

FINISH: 9th

Start: 1st

Laps Led: 0

NCTS Point Standings Position: 10th

Daniel Dye had an impressive career-best weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) with a ninth-place finish and earned his first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) pole award. Dye’s best finish at AMS and first top-10 of the season vaulted him into playoff contention and into 10th position in the NCTS points standings after two races.

Dye began the weekend by earning his first-career NCTS pole on Friday as his three MHR teammates joined him in the top-five on the starting grid. The driver of the No. 43 Champion Container Chevrolet RST fought inside the lead pack from the drop of the green flag and would finish the Stage 1 in the 10th position to earn one point on lap 30.

The first stage caution saw Dye make his first pit stop of the day to take fuel only. Dye would cycle out of the pits in 12th position to begin stage two. On lap 37 he would make a move to the bottom going three-wide to make a push forward. Dye would control the bottom for several laps until the lane no longer had momentum. A caution flag flew on lap 48 which brought Dye back down pit road. After restarting 16th, the four tires and fuel helped Dye finish the second stage in the 14th position at lap 60.

Dye stayed out under the second stage caution and started third for the final segment on lap 67. He worked through the pack and avoided a collision that occurred ahead of him on lap 75. Dye managed to advance his way into contention in sixth position by the lap 94 caution. The race became a single-file chess match over the final 31 laps and Dye took the checkered flag in ninth position. Dye’s weekend at AMS saw him finish with 29 points which advanced him eight positions to 10th in the NCTS drivers’ point standings.

Daniel Dye Quote:

“It was nice to able to start on pole this weekend. For me last year not running good at all, it was really nice to have all MHR trucks to be this fast. I’m just happy to be here, and to have a pole and a top-10 in a national series race it’s pretty cool.”