Driver Spotlight: Where Did Ty Majeski Come From?

On September 15th, Ty Majeski won his very first Truck Series race in Bristol. Wheeling the #66 Toyota for ThorSport Racing, Majeski scored a very popular first win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series…..but how did he get here?

PRE-STOCK CAR CAREER:

Born in 1994, Ty Majeski started racing in dirt karts in 2004, being successful almost immediately. By 2009, Majeski had won five track titles and had 84 feature wins, which lead him to his dirt late model career. Majeski, again finding success through 2016 in various late model and super late model seasons, Majeski would then set his sights on stock cars. In 2017, Majeski moved to North Carolina as an engineer for Roush Fenway Racing, hoping to secure a Ford Development contract. However, Chase Briscoe would receive the contract instead, due to more track time.

ARCA (2016-2019)

In 2016 at Madison, Majeski made his national Series debut, driving the No. 17 Ford for Roulo Brothers Racing. Majeski would go on to finish 4th after starting 7th in an impressive debut. The Roulo Brothers would have Majeski in the car 3 more times that season, finishing the season with (1) Top 5 and (2) Top 10 finishes.

For 2017, Majeski would return to ARCA, this driving the No. 99 Ford for Cunningham Motorsports in 5 races. While he did not win, Majeski was still very fast, reeling off (5) Top 10 finishes and (1) Top 5.

While Majeski would leave ARCA for the brighter lights of the Xfinity Series for 2018 (read more about that below), Majeski would soon find himself back in ARCA for 2019. This time, behind the wheel of the No. 22 Crestliner Boats Ford for Chad Bryant Racing, Majeski would have a very successful return, albeit limited. Despite only making 6 starts, the black No. 22 would see victory lane three times, including Majeski’s first series win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Majeski would ultimately end his 2019 ARCA campaign with three wins, (6) Top 5 finishes, and (6) Top 10’s.

Majeski also made one NASCAR K&N West Series start in Phoenix. Returning to Chad Bryant Racing, Majeski would drive a No. 2 Ford, starting 3rd and finishing 20th, going out after 78 of 108 laps due to an accident.

XFINITY SERIES (2017-2018):

In addition to his ARCA starts, 2017 saw Majeski make his Xfinity Series debut with Roush Fenway Racing. Driving the No. 60 iRacing Ford Mustang in Iowa, he would qualify a fast 10th, but would finish 34th, going out on lap 143 due to an accident. Majeski would make two other starts that season, finishing 16th in the second Iowa race, and 10th in the finale at Homestead.

For 2018, it was announced that Majeski would return to the 60, alongside Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe, but that would be short-lived. Roush later in the season, would announce that they would be closing down the No. 60 team at the end of the year…leaving all 3 drivers searching. Majeski would run 12 races with a best finish of 8th in Kansas. In his last start at Phoenix, he would wheel the No. 60 Ford to a 18th place finish, after starting 39th.

As of this writing, Ty Majeski has not made an Xfinity Series start since.

Truck Series (2019-Present): 

Stuck trying to find a home after the Roush Fenway shutdown, Majeski would find a home in the Truck Series at the end of 2019. Signing to drive the No. 44 Plan B Sales Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports in Phoenix, Majeski would quickly prove he belonged, qualifying 5th and finishing 11th. In December 2019, it was announced that Majeski would replace a departing Ross Chastain in the No. 45 for Niece for 2020.

The 2020 season looked to be a triumphant return for Ty Majeski. Armed with a new manufacturer, team, and crew chief the team was ready (especially considering the success of the 45 team with Chastain the previous season). However, one major ingredient would affect the team right away…lack of a full-time primary sponsor.

Majeski and the 45 would start off Daytona on their roof in the season opener, which resulted in a 32nd place finish. Majeski would run only 15 races in with Niece Motorsports by seasons end, scoring (2) Top 10 finishes. When the series arrived in Richmond, Majeski could not be found on the entry list, with Trevor Bayne listed as driver of the 45.

• The Trevor Bayne Mystery: 
  • With Trevor Bayne listed as the driver of the 45 for Richmond, there was no explanation as to what happened to Majeski or why he was not entered. Following a second-place finish at Talladega, Bayne announced he would be finishing the season in the Niece 45. Ty Majeski’s rookie season was suddenly ended, with no explanation.

2021 brought yet another opportunity in the Truck Series…this time with Toyota and ThorSport Racing. Fielding a part-time No. 66 Toyota, Majeski was given the call to make 4 starts with the team, scoring two Top 10 finishes (in Charlotte and Nashville).

2022 would prove to be the start of what Majeski had wanted for so long. Majeski was announced as the new, full-time driver of the No. 66 Toyota. Starting an amazingly consistent season at Daytona, Majeski would quickly find himself one of the frontrunners most weeks, knocking on Victory Lane’s door frequently. Then came the second Bristol race this September, where Majeski would finally score his first career Truck Series win.

The No. 66 Road Ranger Toyota would be fast the entire race, with Majeski taking the lead on lap 156…and staying there, leading the final 45 laps in dominant fashion. This win would lock Majeski and the ThorSport 66 team into the 2022 Playoffs.  Majeski has his Bristol win, along with (9) Top 5’s and (14) Top 10s in 20 starts as of this writing.

ARCA AND NASCAR SERIES STATS:

*As of September 2022