Though Thorsport Racing’s #99 driver picked up the title after a rather controversial race in Phoenix, its #98 driver and championship contender, Ty Majeski, wasn’t fortunate enough to make it to the final fray as an untimely penalty and a few bad races got the driver in a precarious position.

Despite the infamous derby-like action, the scene was pretty much electric for Ford fans as Ben Rhodes clinched his second Truck Series title, but his teammate and promising title contender Majeski had to be content with an eighth-ranked season finish after he met his match in the round of 8 of the tournament. Now, as the year draws to a close, Majeski has concluded, detailing his 2023 season and how the tire bleeder debacle at Milwaukee Mile changed his course.

Ty Majeski uncovers the harsh reality behind his dismal tire-bleeder stint in Milwaukee

Ty Majeski’s #98 Ford F-150 was steamrolling for an epic showdown, hoping to take everything in one stride after Majeski dominated the field in Milwaukee to pick up his first win of the season in the playoff opener. But the driver and his crew chief were decked under Section 14.16.A, 14.16.1.A, and with a hefty penalty one week later at Milwaukee after NASCAR confiscated the rear tire of the #98 truck for the use of a tire bleeder.

The penalty came down like a hammer in the form of 75 championship points, five playoff points, and a $25,000 fine, and Joe Shear was suspended for the next four weeks that would end with the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. While the untimely penalty got the driver and the team in a rut, Ty Majeski got real about his 2023 season, detailing the scenario as the 5-point deficit later turned into 8 before he was ousted in the round of 8.

In an exclusive given to Sportsnaut, he said, “Racing is a humbling sport, you go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows within a couple of weeks. You just have to know how to manage that and keep your team motivated.” He added, “Overall, obviously, the goal is to make it to Phoenix with a shot to win the championship. Honestly, we just peaked at the wrong time this year. We were plenty capable of making it into the Final Four.”

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In short, the driver believes that NASCAR’s penalty alone did not take away his chances. Ty Majeski added, “We could have won Bristol and cut a tire racing for the lead. Finished second in both stages at Talladega, was running really well, and got in a wreck. Went to Homestead with a longshot and still were only a handful of points out from making it.”

Majeski expects a strong performance in 2024, as he hopes to have a blast in the next season

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The driver wasn’t contemplating or overthinking NASCAR’s punishment but was more focused on what went wrong on his part. According to Matt Weaver, Ty Majeski said, “If you take out our penalty and one bad stage and now we’re in Phoenix, you have to execute in each race that round and we only executed in one of them and that was the difference in making it or not this year.” 

“Obviously, somewhat of a disappointing ending, but happy overall with our speed and everyone at ThorSport winning a championship with Ben and those guys,” said Ty Majeski as he relayed his delight seeing his teammate rack up his second title. He then went on to mention his plans, as the 2024 season is slated to commence in February.

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Ty Majeski, who was an engineer back in 2021, hopes for a stellar return, saying, “I really look forward to doing a lot of the same stuff; I really enjoy what I’m doing with my career in general, being with ThorSport with the Truck Series and being able to run a decent amount of Super Late Model races.”