Ty Majeski went into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection championship weekend because the underdog and got here out a champion.
Then once more, persistence has been a trademark for the 30-year-old driver from Seymour, who turned the fourth from Wisconsin to earn a title in that division when he took the checkered flag Friday evening at Phoenix Raceway.
Of the 4 drivers with an opportunity to take the title, Majeski entered with the worst document on the observe, with no top-10 finishes in three begins, had the bottom common end in 2024 and was tied for the fewest victories (two). Of the 2 contenders, Corey Heim completed second, Christian Eckes third and Grant Enfinger fifth.
Majeski led all however 18 of 150 laps on the oddly formed mile in Avondale, Arizona. With a protracted green-flag run to the checkered, Majeski pulled away to win by 3.945 seconds. Heim drove via the sphere after being penalized for a restart violation however by no means actually challenged.
“It was in all probability the longest 20 laps of my life,” Majeski mentioned in his postrace information convention. “ (Spotter) Brian Lyons was counting every lap down one after the other. I used to be, like, man, skip a pair to make it appear to be it’s going a bit of faster.
“Clearly you are ready for that warning. That’s the very last thing I wished to see. … However all through the race I felt like it doesn’t matter what occurred we had a truck able to warding off any sort of challenger.”
Majeski additionally mirrored on his climb to turning into a champion; his relationship with ThorSport homeowners Duke and Rhonda Thorson and crew chief Joe Shear Jr., one other Midwestern short-tracker; his influences; Wisconsin’s first NASCAR champion and different matters.
Listed here are highlights.
Majeski has ridden a curler coaster to turn into a NASCAR champion
Majeski was on an upward trajectory when he was employed by Roush Fenway Racing as a part-time driver within the Xfinity Collection, however then the staff shut down this system with Majeski having made simply 15 begins in late 2017 and all through 2018.
He lastly caught on with Niece Motorsports for a truck trip for 2020, however that fell aside earlier than the season even ended. Majeski went to work at Thorsport as an engineer and began 2021 with the promise of solely a few races.
“I used to be scanning components on the store, actually studying in regards to the race vehicles and the way they’re constructed,” Majeski mentioned. “Each single half, each single truck went via me at one level or one other, and I used to be in a position to be taught actually how these vehicles work.
“Once I bought my alternative full time in 2022 … with Joe Shear, we simply hit the bottom working. Clearly I wished to be full time in 2021, however trying again now and the expertise that I gained by touching each single half that went into the race truck, I really feel like helped my development and occurred earlier.
“Once I bought that chance in 2022 to go full time, we hit the bottom working. We had been aggressive proper off the bat.”
One other Wisconsin driver/crew chief pairing prevails
Majeski and Shear didn’t actually know one another earlier than they began working collectively, though they had been related through Johnny Sauter. Sauter, a local of Necedah, gained the 2016 truck championship with Shear and continued to do some racing on the Wisconsin quick tracks, which made him a rival earlier than the drivers turned teammates. Sauter and Shear additionally gained the ASA title collectively in 2001, when Majeski was 7.
“So Joe immediately, he’s, like, ‘Hey’ — I keep in mind it vividly; I used to be at my little scanning station early in 2021 — ‘Hey, so what are you working for a setup in your late fashions?’” Majeski mentioned. “And I knew on the time it was in all probability going to go proper to Johnny. I informed a few white lies.”
The 2 then had been paired for 2022 and went on to win two races and qualify for the championship 4. They’ve been tight since.
“The timing was proper to form of carry that torch for Wisconsin and couple up with Joe Shear,” Majeski mentioned. “It was only a pure match for myself and him. We had so many issues to bond on past truck racing.
“Our relationship is extra than simply driver/crew chief. We’re pals. My spouse is aware of I speak to Joe nearly on daily basis for a very long time on the way to make these vehicles higher and the way to higher ourselves going into these races week in and week out.”
Being ‘on an island’ in Ohio pays off
Going to work for ThorSport meant figuring out of Sandusky, Ohio, the place Majeski splits time whereas residing primarily in Wisconsin.
“Being exterior of Charlotte means so much to us,” Majeski mentioned of NASCAR’s North Carolina hub. “We put ourselves on an island.
“I really feel like that may be a bonus and a drawback at occasions, however general we management our personal future. We construct all out of personal chassis, grasp all our personal our bodies in home. … And that’s an enormous purpose why once we discover one thing, we will maintain it to us, proper? In Charlotte generally while you discover a bonus, it may well get unfold round in a short time, however we will maintain it to us up in Sandusky.”
The producer that helped maintain Majeski within the recreation
Majeski’s championship gave ThorSport its sixth title in 12 seasons and Ford its sixth drivers championship in seven years.
Ford continued to assist Majeski after the tip at Roush Fenway, and he has been with the producer all through a lot of his profession.
“They gave me my first shot,” Majeski mentioned. “I at all times ran Ford motors, engines in my late fashions. We had been at all times part of their program at clearly a really low degree. Ford and Roush gave me my first alternative to form of burst my manner into the NASCAR scene. I name it the NASCAR funnel. When you get in that funnel, you possibly can form of create completely different alternatives for your self when you’re in that funnel.
“They gave me a simulation job in 2019 after Roush shut down their Xfinity program. Gave me a bit of bit of cash. Each sim session I did – I did not do a lot of them, nevertheless it was sufficient to maintain my head above water. … That was in correlation with the Chad Bryant ARCA Racing program. I used to be in a position to win (4 ARCA) races, and I used to be in a position to form of maintain my head above water within the NASCAR scene and provides me my subsequent alternative with Niece Motorsports.”
Majeski remembers those that bought him to the place he’s
Majeski has continued to race on his tremendous late mannequin in larger occasions in his house state and elsewhere. In truth it was after he gained the Snowball Derby in Pensacola, Florida, in 2020 that he related with Thorsport.
Majeski’s quick observe crew chief, Toby Nuttleman, was in a position to be a part of the celebration in Phoenix – geared up with the plastic French fry given to him by his granddaughter he considers his good luck appeal.
“Though he wasn’t part of this particular championship, he’s an enormous purpose why I’m right here speaking to you proper now as 2024 NASCAR Truck Collection champion,” Majeski mentioned.
“You encompass your self with good folks and keep grounded and by no means assume you’re the perfect. That’s precisely when you’re going to get beat. So simply retaining grounded. All the time retaining your head down. All the time making an attempt to get higher each race. Whether or not you win or not, there’s at all times one thing that you would have in all probability performed higher in that race.”
Majeski is related to Wisconsin’s first NASCAR champion, Alan Kulwicki
Of the Wisconsin drivers to win NASCAR nationwide sequence championships, Majeski was the primary to take action at Phoenix.
The late Alan Kulwicki capped his 1992 Winston Cup run at Atlanta Motor Speedway and in 2003 Matt Kenseth gained his in Rockingham, North Carolina. Travis Kvapil (2003), Ted Musgrave (2005), and Sauter (2016) all claimed their truck sequence title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.
Of those that preceded Majeski, he had essentially the most in widespread with Kulwicki, a Polish, Catholic, college-educated engineer. Coincidentally, Kulwicki picked up his first Cup victory in Phoenix’s NASCAR debut in 1988.
Majeski was the highest finisher within the inaugural Kulwicki Driver Growth Program, which was launched in 2015 to assist younger racers and maintain Kulwicki’s legacy alive.
“To come back right here as a NASCAR champion and do this Polish victory lap is so particular for that program and Alan’s legacy,” Majeski mentioned. “Was completely happy to hold that legacy on tonight. He was positively in my ideas as I used to be doing that victory lap.
“Their program was actually a jump-start to my profession. It pressured me to step exterior of my consolation zone and run completely different races. … We went and placed on a terrific season collectively in 2015 that propelled me to that championship.
“We had been ready to make use of that cash (greater than $54,000) to construct a brand new race automobile, and that race automobile went on to win us a ton of races. It’s simply humorous how one little state of affairs can pressure you to win a championship and make a bit of bit of cash and put that cash again into the racing program and construct a extremely good race automobile that places you in place to win races.
“That’s why I’m sitting right here at the moment. Simply completely happy to hold that Wisconsin flag. Quite a lot of nice race automobile drivers have come out of Wisconsin and simply tremendous honored to have the ability to carry that flag this night.”
