In 2022, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team ThorSport Racing had a new full-time driver behind the wheel. The Ohio-based outfit had signed the then-23-year-old Ty Majeski in 2017 from their on-field contender Niece Motorsports. Running the driver part-time for a year, they gave him a proper shot in 2022 and boy, did he use it well! Finishing the season on a high, he cemented himself to the starting spot. Going into 2023, the team had changed its manufacturer from Toyota to Ford. While Ty was expected to stagger because of this, what happened was quite the opposite.

With 7 top-5 finishes in the current season, he turned out to be an even more serious contender for the championship. But that’s where the dream ends. A decision that came flying out of NASCAR’s HQ a few days back put a halt on the spectacular run that he had been having.

Brad Keselowski’s spotter expresses disappointment with Ty Majeski’s illegalism

During the pre-race inspection of the ‘Clean Harbors 150’ race at Milwaukee Mile in the final days of August, NASCAR officials had found a severe refraction of the promotion’s rules in ThorSport Racing’s No. 98 Ford F-150. Confiscating the truck’s right-rear tire, they penalized the team and its driver heavily as punishment. Having broken into the playoffs already, Ty Majeski’s hopes of the championship took a strong hit as 75 overall points and 5 crucial playoff points were deducted from his count. Furthermore, Majeski was forced to start the race from the grid’s end and serve a pass-through penalty in the maiden lap.

Cup Series racer Brad Keselowski’s spotter TJ Majors appeared on the ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ podcast along with his regular crew to analyze ThorSport’s illegalism and NASCAR’s subsequent penalty. Visibly confused with the need for shortcuts to win a race at a track that Majeski was already very strong at, he said, “Ty’s going to be… he’s a good driver and he’s even a better short track driver as well. So if you’re, you know a guy like that, that’s probably the place that you don’t even need it. Because you go there with a guy that’s already good at it. You know that’s not even… a place that I would want to do it the most.”

While Ty Majeski finished the Milwaukee Mile race, impressively showcasing his racing prowess, his team refrained from commenting on the penalty and collected further black marks over their cloudiness.

The rule that Ty Majeski and his team broke and drew severe penalties

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In the aftermath of the infraction, NASCAR issued penalties in regards to the 14.16.A, 14.16.1.A and C of the Truck Rule Book. The issue identified was with the valve stem cap that the team had designed. The cap was put together in such a way that the stem helped release pressure from the tires when tightened. Tire pressure manipulation is considered a serious offence in NASCAR’s book and the No. 98 crew was handed an L2 penalty as a result.

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The promotion is completely transparent when it comes to such activities and it kept in line with that character at Kansas last Friday. Bringing the illegal parts to showcase a demonstration, Truck Series director Seth Kramlich explained the exact nuances behind the illegal mechanism.

Confirming that they’d made sure of the manipulation using a ‘dunk tank’ at Goodyear’s facilities, he said, “So as this cap is tightened down onto the valve stem, it slowly started releasing air, until it was completely sealed, it would stop. But with slight pressure, it would actually release air from the tire. So, we obviously verified it in the dunk tank at Goodyear. And it was assessed that it was obviously a manipulation of the tire.”

It has always been an unsaid rule in racing that whoever can find the loopholes in the system and not get penalized, wins. While ThorSport Racing gave it an “honest” try, they ended up flat on their face. Gathering from TJ Majors’ opinions, teams need to learn to rely on the strength of their drivers before opting for such measures that could hurt them.

The 29-year-old’s P7 performance at Milwaukee from a clean truck would serve as a testament to that. Winning the playoff opener at the Indianapolis Raceway Park, the driver has already secured his spot in the second round of the playoffs. We will be seeing him race next from a completely legal Ford F-150 at the Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.

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