Ty Majeski: Wisconsin’s Newest NASCAR Champion
Ty Majeski, driver of the #98 Road Ranger Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 08, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The goal and the effort were always there…to become a NASCAR champion. But the path to the goal wasn’t exactly a straight line.
Seymour, Wisconsin native Ty Majeski burst onto the local and regional Super Late Model short track racing scene while he was an engineering student at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Three consecutive championships in the ARCA Midwest Tour led Majeski to Roush Fenway Racing in 2017, both as an engineer and part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver.
But when Jack Roush closed the Xfinity Series program at the end of the 2018 season, Majeski was forced to look elsewhere. Enter ARCA Menards Series team owner Chad Bryant.
“He gave me a great opportunity in 2019,” explained Majeski. “We went out and won three of five or six ARCA races that year, and propelled me into my (NASCAR Truck Series) opportunity with Niece Motorsports.
“Obviously that didn’t go as planned. December of 2020 won the Snowball Derby (Super Late Model race), and a couple of weeks later was in contact with the ThorSport organization on putting something together.”
Majeski’s engineering background and experience played a key role in his next career move.
“I had a few other opportunities that maybe would have yielded more races for 2021, but I decided to move up to Ohio. My wife and I made the decision to go up and really take a shot on a future, right, something that looked like that could be something that had longevity to it.
“I went up in 2021 with ThorSport and only did three or four races and was on their roster as a full-time engineer. Did some engineering for Paul Menard, ran some truck races, and I was an engineer for them. I was scanning parts at the shop, really learning about the race trucks and how they’re built.
“Every single part, every single truck went through me at one point or another,” Majeski explained, “and I was able to learn really how these trucks work and how they operate.
“When I got my opportunity (to drive) full-time in 2022 with the No. 66 bunch at the time, with (crew chief) Joe Shear, we just hit the ground running. You know, obviously I wanted to be full-time in 2021, but looking back now and the experience that I gained by touching every single part that went into the race truck, I feel like helped my progression and happened earlier.
“When I got that opportunity in 2022 to go full-time,” continued Majeski, “we hit the ground running. We were competitive right off the bat.
“Obviously made it to the Championship 4. Didn’t win the championship, but yeah, just looking back at it, you can go back in your life, and you say, wow, there’s different decisions that changed your life and took a different direction, and that’s one of them that we made.
“It was one of the better decisions I’ve ever made to go with ThorSport. And Duke, Rhonda Thorson, they’ve built such a great culture up there, and just proud to carry the flag with them.”
Ty Majeski, driver of the #98 Road Ranger Ford, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 08, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Majeski joins fellow Wisconsin racers Travis Kvapil and Johnny Sauter as Truck Series championship winning drivers, as well as crew chief Joe Shear, Jr. Even though Majeski and Shear share Wisconsin roots, they really didn’t know each other.
“I didn’t know him very well,” said Shear who won the Truck Series title in 2016 with Sauter, “but I knew of him, and I have talked to him before. Obviously, I follow the short track racing in Wisconsin or even across the country, basically. When you have a talented driver, you want to be paired up with him.
“I’ve been lucky pretty much all my career. I’ve had pretty good drivers. With a good team and good drivers and good people around you, championships like this are won.”
Majeski recalled an encounter with Shear before being paired up at ThorSport Racing.
“Well, Joe and Johnny were chasing me for a little bit in Wisconsin. So Joe right away, — I remember it vividly. I was at my little scanning station early in 2021. ‘Hey, so what are you running for a setup in your late models?’ And I knew at the time it was probably going to go right to Johnny.
“I told a couple of white lies (laughing). It’s just crazy looking back at all the races that Johnny and I have raced against each other. Obviously, Joe Shear was a part of Johnny’s late model program. Just the timing was right to kind of carry that torch for Wisconsin and couple up with Joe Shear.
“It was just a natural fit for myself and him. We had so many things to bond on beyond truck racing. And that’s one thing that I really hit on is driver/crew chief relationship. Our relationship is more than just, like I said, driver/crew chief. We’re friends. My wife knows I talk to Joe just about every day for a long time on how to make these trucks better and how to better ourselves going into these races week in and week out.
“I feel like that’s one advantage we have on the rest of the field.”
After winning the championship, Majeski did a Polish victory lap at Phoenix Raceway, driving around the track in the opposite direction, a nod to Wisconsin’s first NASCAR Cup Series champion Alan Kulwicki.
“Looking back at Alan’s championship season (in 1992) and he was able to do a Polish victory lap here at Phoenix to make it really come full circle.
“And I was the inaugural 2015 Kulwicki Driver Development Program Champion, and to come here as a NASCAR champion and do that Polish victory lap is so special for that program and Alan’s legacy. Was happy to carry that legacy on. He was definitely in my thoughts as I was doing that victory lap.”
Ty Majeski, driver of the #98 Road Ranger Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 08, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Majeski credits the program for his current success.
“Their program was really a jump-start to my career. It forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and run different races. My late model crew chief is back there, Toby Nuttleman. We went and put on a great season together in 2015 that propelled me to that championship.
“Yeah, really took the next step in my career. We were able to use that money to build a new race car, and that race car went on to win us a ton of races.
“It’s just funny how one little situation can force you to win a championship and make a little bit of money and put that money back into the racing program and build a really good race car that puts you in position to win races. That’s why I’m sitting here today.
“Just happy to carry that Wisconsin flag,” proclaimed Majeski. “A lot of great race car drivers have come out of Wisconsin and just super honored to be able to carry that flag.”
As a product of grassroots short tracking racing, Wisconsin’s latest NASCAR champion shared what got him to where he is today.
“Yeah, just keep digging. The biggest thing that I have learned and my dad has taught me from a young age is surround yourself with good people and good things will happen.
“Like I mentioned before, Toby Nuttleman, my crew chief, he’s just back here sharing this championship together. Even though he wasn’t a part of this specific championship, he’s a huge reason why I’m here right now as 2024 NASCAR Truck Series Champion.
“You surround yourself with good people and stay grounded and never think you’re the best. That’s exactly when you are going to get beat. So just keeping grounded. Always keeping your head down. Always trying to get better each and every race. Whether you win or not, there’s always something that you could have probably done better in that race.
“I was very big on watching — going back and watching film and understanding how the race played out, what I could have done different in different situations to be better.”