Defending NASCAR champion Ty Majeski ‘embarrassed’ after unfortunate Rockingham race
Ty Majeski’s day at Rockingham Speedway ended early due to a wreck on lap 109. While recalling it during an interview at The Rock, the ThorSport Racing driver felt embarrassed.
Seconds before the mishap, Majeski was running on the inside of the CR7 Motorsports driver, Grant Enfinger. While Enfinger ran the high line, Majeski lost the air off his right side, coming out of Turn 1 and into 2, got loose, and rammed straight into the SAFER barrier.
For the fourth week in a row, Ty Majeski missed finishing inside the top 10. Visibly dejected, the Wisconsin native told NASCAR on FOX:
“Obviously, this place is narrow…hard racing at the end. We were giving each other quite a bit of room early on, and then that room kind of goes away as we get to the last stage. I can’t really blame Grant; he held me tight, obviously took the air off my right side. Just embarrassed, honestly.”
While Enfinger delivered a solid top-five, Majeski had to settle for a P33 and his second straight DNF. Majeski started the race from inside the top 10, so there is no debating that his No. 98 SODA SENSE Ford F-150 was fast. It's safe to say that execution is where his team lacked.
In his previous seven starts, the reigning Truck Series champion has delivered a pair of top-fives and three top-10s. As of today, he sits sixth in the drivers' standings.
When NASCAR fined Ty Majeski $12,500
Last year in November, Ty Majeski missed NASCAR’s Championship 4 media day to vote in his home state, Wisconsin, on Election Day. As a result, Majeski was fined $12,500 by NASCAR, which he later appealed, but in vain.
Despite being slammed with the unprecedented penalty, Majeski felt little remorse. In one of his interviews, the Ford icon said (quoted by ESPN):
“I felt like I needed to do my duty as a U.S. citizen to vote. My team owners and I, we all made the decision to exercise that right.”
NASCAR also addressed the matter, claiming they would have been willing to work with Majeski on the timings of the media obligations had the No. 98 team informed them of his plans beforehand.
However, Majeski argued:
“This has never happened before. Election Day, everyone knew it was Election Day for a long time. It's unfortunate circumstances for everybody."
Even then, Ty Majeski bested everyone on the Championship 4 race day (November 8). Leading 132 laps in the 150-lap event, he held off Corey Heim by 3.945 seconds to the finish line. Notably, the victory got Majeski his first series title in 2024.