NASCAR
Ty Majeski Takes First NASCAR Victory at Bristol, Clinches Phoenix Finale Spot
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Not taking the lead until the final 50 laps, Ty Majeski held on for his maiden NASCAR Truck win at Bristol. Majeski could not have picked a better time for career victory number one. As a Playoff contender, the ThorSport No. 66 team is now locked into the Championship 4 finale on November 4th in Phoenix.
Early on, it appeared as if the night would belong to Chandler Smith. The defending Bristol winner, driver 18 took both Stages in commanding fashion, leading 89 laps. However, choosing to not pit until after Stage 2 would set Smith back, giving up ground he would never recover.
Pitting just before the end of Stage 1, Zane Smith inherited the lead to start Stage 3, and initially took off with the oldest tires in the field. The 38 would begin to drive away, until a caution right at 50 laps to go.
The lap 156 restart would prove to be the game-changing moment of the night. Lining up on the outside, Ty Majeski rocketed off to the lead over Zane Smith, and would never look back.
Was this @TyMajeski restart the deciding factor tonight? pic.twitter.com/X9fxR7Lrop
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) September 16, 2022
Over the closing laps, the renowned late model racer just managed his gap over Smith, with one more restart just outside of the final 10 laps. By the checkered flag, Majeski had a second over Smith, taking his first career win in his 40th start. Thanks to this win, Majeski is now the only Truck driver locked into the Phoenix Championship 4.
“Man this is unbelievable, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this,” Majeski said. “Duke and Rhonda Thorson, Allison, thank you for this opportunity. Just so proud to be here. We came guns blazing for this race, took our best truck, Joe (Shear Jr, crew chief) was aggressive on pit strategy, got us out front, and we were able to get it done.”
“I’ve been in position a lot through my career. In late model racing we’ve been fortunate to win a lot of races, that was just another restart.”
“This is so cool. My career’s been so up-and-down, there’s been a lot of people to help me get to this point, it’s so cool! I know my late model guys are watching back at the shop. They’re a big reason why I’m here. So are my parents, my fiancé, this is just damn cool! Thank you Road Ranger, TRD, Toyota, man I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
Behind Majeski and Smith at the finish were Parker Kligerman, Grant Enfinger, Matt Crafton, Derek Kraus, Stewart Friesen, Christian Eckes, Chandler Smith, and Corey Heim.
In two weeks, the Truck Series will return to action at Talladega Superspeedway. The Chevy Silverado 250 offers another ticket to Phoenix, but will also be the ultimate unknown. Coverage will be Saturday, October 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. With Majeski being the only driver safe, can we see an upset winner?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Peter Stratta/TSJSports
