Ty Majeski stormed to his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection championship by securing a dominant victory within the 2024 Craftsman Truck Collection Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, November 8.
The 30-year-old Majeski from Seymour, Wisconsin, led a race-high 132 of 150-scheduled laps in a season-finale occasion the place he began on pole place and led the primary 38 laps earlier than he was overtaken by Championship 4 contender Corey Heim, whom Majeski settled in second place behind on the first stage’s conclusion. After regaining the lead through the first stage’s pit cease interval and previous to the beginning of the second stage interval, Majeski would then prevail in a mid-stage battle with Heim on the observe to assert the second stage victory.
Majeski would then proceed to steer the sector to the beginning of the ultimate stage interval with 52 laps remaining. Amid a complete of three warning durations attributable to on-track carnages and three restart durations all through the ultimate stage, Majeski, who retained the lead by each restart interval, executed the ultimate one with 27 laps remaining to his benefit as he motored away from Heim together with Championship 4 finalists Christian Eckes and Grant Enfinger to cap off the 2024 season along with his third Craftsman Truck Collection victory of the yr and his first championship in his third full-time marketing campaign within the sequence.
With on-track qualifying that decided the beginning lineup occurring on Friday, Championship 4 finalist Ty Majeski claimed the ultimate pole place of the 2024 season and the sixth of the season with a pole-winning lap at 138.180 mph in 26.053 seconds. Becoming a member of him on the entrance row was Championship 4 finalist Corey Heim, who clocked in his greatest qualifying lap at 138.021 mph in 26.083 seconds. Christian Eckes and Grant Enfinger, the remaining two Championship 4 finalists, lined up in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Previous to the occasion, Lawless Alan dropped to the rear of the sector in a backup truck after he wrecked his major truck through the finale’s qualifying session.
When the inexperienced flag waved and the finale commenced, the sector fanned out by the frontstretch’s dogleg as Ty Majeski led the way in which by the primary two turns. As Majeski pulled away by the backstretch, he proceeded to steer the primary lap whereas his Championship 4 rivals Corey Heim and Christian Eckes adopted swimsuit in second and third, respectively.
Over the following 4 laps, Majeski stretched his early benefit to greater than a second over Heim and Eckes whereas Nick Sanchez and Stewart Friesen adopted swimsuit within the prime 5. Behind, Dean Thompson retained sixth place forward of Connor Mosack, Championship 4 finalist Grant Enfinger, Kaden Honeycutt and rookie Layne Riggs whereas Conner Jones, Chase Purdy, Rajah Caruth, Tyler Ankrum and the Grey brothers of Tanner and Taylor have been racing within the prime 16.
Via the primary 10-scheduled laps, Majeski continued to steer by two seconds over Heim whereas third-place Eckes trailed by three-and-a-half seconds. Behind, Sanchez and Friesen remained within the prime 5 whereas Enfinger, who misplaced three spots firstly regardless of beginning in fifth place, was as much as seventh place behind Thompson. Majeski would proceed to stabilize his result in greater than two seconds over Heim and by almost six seconds over Eckes 10 laps later whereas Enfinger drove his method again into the highest 5 as he was in fifth place behind Sanchez.
On the Lap 30 mark, Majeski’s lead decreased to six-tenths of a second over Heim because the latter began to shut in on the previous for the highest spot. Majeski would then barely improve his result in nine-tenths of a second over Heim on the Lap 35 mark earlier than Heim assumed the lead from Majeski coming into the backstretch on Lap 39. By then, Eckes retained third place and trailed the lead by greater than 4 seconds whereas Enfinger retained fifth place behind Sanchez as he trailed the lead by greater than 10 seconds.
On Lap 41, the finale’s first warning interval flew when Frankie Muniz bought bumped by William Sawalich as he slid sideways in Flip 3 whereas the chief Heim barely averted McGee’s sideways truck. Muniz’s incident was sufficient for the primary stage interval scheduled to conclude on Lap 45 to formally conclude beneath warning as Heim claimed his tenth Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Majeski, Eckes, Sanchez and Enfinger adopted swimsuit within the prime 5 whereas Thompson, Mosack, Riggs, Conner Jones and Friesen have been scored within the prime 10.
Below the stage break, the lead lap subject led by Heim pitted for a primary spherical of pit service. Following the pit stops, Majeski reassumed the lead as he exited pit highway first whereas he was adopted by Eckes, Heim, Sanchez and Enfinger. Amid the pit stops, Heim endured a gradual pit service after he was pressured to reverse his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Professional into his pit stall to make sure his pit crew would change the left-side tires whereas Enfinger barely clipped his rear-tire change whereas coming into his pit stall.
The second stage interval began on Lap 54 as Majeski and Eckes occupied the entrance row. At the beginning, the sector fanned out by the frontstretch’s dogleg as each Majeski and Eckes dueled for the lead. Majeski would then use the surface lane to muscle his No. 98 Highway Ranger Ford F-150 forward with the lead by the primary two turns whereas Heim muscled by into second place forward of Eckes and Sanchez. As the sector continued to fan out by the backstretch, Majeski led the following lap over Heim whereas Eckes, Sanchez, Thompson and Enfinger adopted swimsuit within the prime six.
On Lap 58, the warning returned when Jack Wooden, who was racing exterior the highest 25, bought sideways after making contact with Bayley Currey as each have been racing in a three-wide battle with Matt Crafton, which resulted with Wooden spinning and backing his No. 91 Mongoose Chevrolet Silverado RST into the surface wall in Flip 2. The incident and harm to the rear finish of Wooden’s truck was sufficient to make Wooden the primary retiree of the finale. In the course of the warning interval, Crafton and Daniel Dye pitted whereas the remaining led by Majeski remained on the observe.
Because the occasion restarted beneath inexperienced on Lap 64, a four-wide battle for the lead ensued between Majeski, Heim, Sanchez and Thompson by the frontstretch’s dogleg as Heim muscled forward from the within lane coming into the primary two turns. Majeski would then shut again to Heim’s rear bumper coming into the backstretch and he tried to make a transfer beneath him, however Heim transitioned to the surface lane as he fended off Majeski to retain the lead and lead the next lap. With Heim main the race, Majeski retained second forward of Sanchez and Eckes whereas Riggs moved up into the highest 5. Riggs would then problem Eckes for fourth place whereas Mosack, Enfinger and Thompson closed in from sixth to eighth, respectively. By then, Thompson was penalized for a restart violation.
On the midway mark on Lap 75, Majeski, who overtook Heim for the lead 5 laps earlier regardless of making contact with the latter, prolonged his benefit to greater than a second over Heim whereas third-place Sanchez trailed by greater than two seconds. Behind, Riggs and Eckes trailed within the prime 5 forward of Mosack, Friesen, Enfinger, Taylor Grey and Purdy whereas Ben Rhodes, Rajah Caruth, Tanner Grey, Conner Jones, Kaden Honeycutt, Daniel Dye, William Sawalich, Tyler Ankrum, Matt Crafton and Stefan Parsons all adopted swimsuit within the prime 20.
When the second stage interval concluded on Lap 90, Majeski, who proceeded to stretch his benefit to greater than three seconds, captured his seventh Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Heim adopted swimsuit in second whereas Riggs, Sanchez, Eckes, Mosack, Enfinger, Taylor Grey, Friesen and Rhodes have been scored within the prime 10.
In the course of the stage break, the lead lap subject led by Majeski returned to pit highway for service. Following the pit stops, Majeski retained the lead after he exited pit highway first whereas Sanchez, Eckes, Riggs, Heim, Mosack, Taylor Grey, Enfinger, Caruth and Tanner Grey adopted swimsuit within the prime 10. Amid the pit stops, Crafton was penalized for improper fueling to his No. 88 Menards Ford F-150.
With 52 laps remaining, the ultimate stage interval commenced as Majeski and Sanchez occupied the entrance row. At the beginning, the sector fanned out by the frontstretch’s dogleg as each Sanchez and Majeski dueled in entrance of the sector coming into the primary two turns. Majeski and Sanchez would proceed to duel for the lead coming into the backstretch in entrance of Heim and Riggs earlier than Mosack, who was racing within the prime six behind Eckes, ran up the observe and hit the surface wall. As the sector scattered to keep away from hitting Mosack, Tyler Ankrum then bought bumped by Sawalich as he spun his No. 18 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado RST again throughout the center of the backstretch, which triggered a multi-truck wreck that concerned Sawalich, Andres Perez de Lara, Stefan Parsons, Friesen, Frankie Muniz, Spencer Boyd and rookie Thad Moffitt. The carnage was sufficient to position the finale in a pink flag interval for greater than six minutes. By then, Heim, who restarted in fifth place and had moved as much as third place previous to the warning, was penalized for a restart violation, the place he steered his No. 11 Safelite Toyota to the left and under the frontstretch’s apron previous to reaching the beginning/end line.
As soon as the pink flag lifted and the sector proceeded beneath a cautious tempo, some together with Mosack, Friesen and Currey pitted whereas the remaining led by Majeski remained on the observe.
The beginning of the following restart interval with 43 laps remaining featured Majeski warding off Sanchez, Eckes and Riggs by the frontstretch’s dogleg and the primary two turns. Majeski would proceed to steer Riggs by the backstretch as he led the following lap whereas Sanchez, Taylor Grey, Enfinger, Caruth and Eckes all adopted swimsuit. In the meantime, Heim, who restarted nineteenth after serving his penalty, was as much as sixteenth place. As Heim proceeded to climb his method up into the highest 14, Majeski held a slender lead over Riggs with 40 laps remaining whereas Sanchez, Taylor Grey, Enfinger and Eckes adopted swimsuit within the prime six.
Shortly after, the warning returned when Conner Jones, who was racing in eleventh place, spun in Flip 2 after he made contact with teammate Jake Garcia amid close-quarters racing whereas he was almost hit by teammate Ben Rhodes whereas sliding in direction of the surface wall. The incident occurred in entrance of Heim, who made his method into eleventh place. In the course of the warning interval, some together with Enfinger and Eckes pitted whereas the remaining led by Majeski remained on the observe.
In the course of the subsequent restart interval with 33 laps remaining, Majeski and Riggs led the sector to the beginning as the previous muscled forward from the surface lane by the frontstretch’s dogleg. As Heim went to the apron to achieve spots in direction of the top-five mark coming into the primary two turns, Majeski muscled away from the sector coming into the backstretch earlier than the warning shortly returned as Riggs made contact with Sanchez in a battle for the runner-up spot and spun his No. 38 Love’s Journey Stops Ford F-150 in Flip 2. Nathan Byrd would additionally spin as he jammed on the brakes to keep away from Riggs.
The beginning of the next restart interval with 27 laps remaining featured Majeski muscling forward of a three-wide battle for the runner-up spot involving Heim, Sanchez and Daniel Dye by the frontstretch’s dogleg and the primary two turns earlier than Heim muscled his method into the runner-up spot coming into the backstretch. As the sector fanned out, Majeski led the next lap forward of a hard-charging Heim whereas Sanchez, Eckes and Dye have been within the prime 5. In the meantime, Enfinger was mired in ninth place as Majeski stretched his benefit to a second over Heim. Eckes would then cost his No. 19 NAPA Chevrolet Silverado RST into third place on the observe and along with his contemporary tires with 24 laps remaining, thus inserting three Championship 4 finalists within the prime three on the observe whereas Dye was assessed a restart violation penalty.
Right down to the ultimate 20 laps of the finale, Majeski was main each the race and the championship battle by greater than a second over Heim whereas third-place Eckes trailed by greater than two seconds. In the meantime, Enfinger was in sixth place behind Sanchez and Taylor Grey whereas Honeycutt, Mosack, Tanner Grey and Rhodes have been within the prime 10.
5 laps later, Majeski added one other second to his benefit as he was main by greater than two seconds over Heim whereas Eckes trailed in third place by three-and-a-half seconds. By then, Enfinger moved his No. 9 Champion Energy Tools Chevrolet Silverado RST as much as fifth place regardless of trailing the lead by greater than seven seconds whereas Majeski, who was posting the quickest lap instances on the observe, continued to increase his benefit to greater than three seconds over Heim with 10 laps remaining.
With 5 laps remaining, Majeski stabilized his benefit to greater than 4 seconds over Heim whereas Eckes continued to path in third place by 5 seconds. In the meantime, Enfinger trailed in fifth place on the observe by 9 seconds whereas Sanchez was mired in fourth place.
When the white flag waved and the ultimate lap began, Majeski remained within the lead each within the race and the championship battle by greater than 4 seconds over Heim. With Heim unable to slender the hole between himself and Majeski for a ultimate lap cost, Majeski was in a position to easily navigate his No. 98 Highway Ranger Ford F-150 across the Phoenix circuit for a ultimate time earlier than he returned to the frontstretch to assert the checkered flag and win each the race and his first Truck Collection championship.
Along with his first title, Majeski, who additionally claimed his sixth profession race victory, turned the twenty first competitor total to win a championship within the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection division, the third consecutive Ford competitor to win a Truck championship in latest seasons and the seventh to realize a primary title beneath the sequence’ present inception of the Playoff-elimination format. Majeski additionally delivered each the sixth Truck driver’s championship and the third proprietor’s championship for ThorSport Racing whereas veteran crew chief Joe Shear Jr. notched his second title within the sequence.
The 2024 season marks the fourth time over the earlier seven seasons the place the championship-winning competitor received the season-finale occasion on a schedule and the third time during the last 5 season the place it occurred at Phoenix Raceway. For Majeski, the 2024 championship is available in his third full-time Truck season driving for ThorSport Racing, a group whom Majeski drove for in choose occasions in 2021 earlier than he was elevated to a full-time experience in 2022.
