Majeski Stays Consistent & Climbs Through Bristol Chaos

Ty Majeski (98) battles Taylor Gray Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. (John Harrelson/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

BRISTOL, Tenn. – The second race of the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs Thursday night provided plenty of points drama, but Ty Majeski was able to avoid the chaos – though it was anything but easy.

Majeski qualified 19th on speed at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, but had to drop to the rear of the field because of an unapproved adjustment after qualifying.

The deep starting spot didn’t deter him, as he climbed into the top 10 in the second half of the race and remained there for the duration.

“Honestly this place is one of the hardest tracks to pass at that we go to. We didn’t feel like we were very good at all today,” said the driver of the No. 98 Road Ranger Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. “We really panicked [after qualifying] and we felt like we needed to take a pretty big swing [adjustment wise]. We didn’t know what we would have when we unloaded in the race, but ended up not being terrible.”

The “not terrible” run was an eighth-place finish in the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics, fifth best of the playoff drivers. Majeski has made the playoffs every season since he began racing full-time with ThorSport and has never been eliminated in the first round.

The Seymour, Wis., native’s top 10 at The Last Great Colosseum – his sixth in the last seven races, including back-to-back wins at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and Richmond (Va.) Raceway – kept his summer run of consistency going.

“We did exactly what we needed to do today,” noted Majeski. “After having to start in the back, we just needed to hit a single tonight. We didn’t need to go for the home run. That's exactly what we did.”

While multiple drivers worry about their championship hopes heading into the Round of 10 elimination race at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway, Majeski’s playoff run is all but guaranteed to continue.

He sits fifth in points, 58 to the good, and needs to earn just five points at Kansas to clinch his place in round two of the playoffs.

“Just [got to] go to Kansas, try to maximize our day and get more playoff points,” he noted.

The short track ace also feels confident about not only advancing to the Round of 8, but making it into the Championship 4 for the second time in three years.

“I feel good about it. We feel good about where our team is at, coming off of two wins, a second [place finish] and now a performance like this. Like I said, it’s exactly what we needed.”

The final race for the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series takes place next Friday, Sept. 27, at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and MRN at Kansas. Christian Eckes is the defending race winner.