Ty Majeski went into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship weekend as the underdog and came out a champion.

Then again, persistence has been a hallmark for the 30-year-old driver from Seymour, who became the fourth from Wisconsin to earn a title in that division when he took the checkered flag Friday night at Phoenix Raceway.

Of the four drivers with a chance to take the title, Majeski entered with the worst record at the track, with no top-10 finishes in three starts, had the lowest average finish in 2024 and was tied for the fewest victories (two).  Of the two contenders, Corey Heim finished second, Christian Eckes third and Grant Enfinger fifth.

Majeski led all but 18 of 150 laps at the oddly shaped mile in Avondale, Arizona. With a long green-flag run to the checkered, Majeski pulled away to win by 3.945 seconds. Heim drove through the field after being penalized for a restart violation but never really challenged.

“It was probably the longest 20 laps of my life,” Majeski said in his postrace news conference. “ (Spotter) Brian Lyons was counting each lap down one by one. I was, like, man, skip a couple to make it seem like it’s going a little quicker.

“Obviously you’re waiting for that caution. That’s the last thing I wanted to see. … But throughout the race I felt like no matter what happened we had a truck capable of fending off any type of challenger.”

Majeski also reflected on his climb to becoming a champion; his relationship with ThorSport owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson and crew chief Joe Shear Jr., another Midwestern short-tracker; his influences; Wisconsin’s first NASCAR champion and other topics.

Here are highlights.

Majeski has ridden a roller coaster to become a NASCAR champion

Majeski was on an upward trajectory when he was hired by Roush Fenway Racing as a part-time driver in the Xfinity Series, but then the team shut down the program with Majeski having made just 15 starts in late 2017 and throughout 2018.

He finally caught on with Niece Motorsports for a truck ride for 2020, but that fell apart before the season even ended. Majeski went to work at Thorsport as an engineer and started 2021 with the promise of only a couple of races.

“I was scanning parts at the shop, really learning about the race trucks and how they’re built,” Majeski said. “Every single part, every single truck went through me at one point or another, and I was able to learn really how these trucks work.

“When I got my opportunity full time in 2022 … with Joe Shear, we just hit the ground running. Obviously I wanted to be full time in 2021, but looking back now and the experience that I gained by touching every single part that went into the race truck, I feel like helped my progression and happened earlier.

“When I got that opportunity in 2022 to go full time, we hit the ground running. We were competitive right off the bat.”

Another Wisconsin driver/crew chief pairing prevails

Majeski and Shear didn’t really know each other before they started working together, although they were connected via Johnny Sauter. Sauter, a native of Necedah, won the 2016 truck championship with Shear and continued to do some racing on the Wisconsin short tracks, which made him a rival before the drivers became teammates. Sauter and Shear also won the ASA title together in 2001, when Majeski was 7.

“So Joe right away, he’s, like, ‘Hey’ — I remember it vividly; I was at my little scanning station early in 2021 — ‘Hey, so what are you running for a setup in your late models?’” Majeski said. “And I knew at the time it was probably going to go right to Johnny. I told a couple of white lies.”

The two then were paired for 2022 and went on to win two races and qualify for the championship four. They’ve been tight since.

“The timing was right to kind of carry that torch for Wisconsin and couple up with Joe Shear,” Majeski said. “It was just a natural fit for myself and him. We had so many things to bond on beyond truck racing.

“Our relationship is more than just driver/crew chief. We’re friends. My wife knows I talk to Joe just about every day for a long time on how to make these trucks better and how to better ourselves going into these races week in and week out.”

Being ‘on an island’ in Ohio pays off

Going to work for ThorSport meant working out of Sandusky, Ohio, where Majeski splits time while living primarily in Wisconsin.

“Being outside of Charlotte means a lot to us,” Majeski said of NASCAR’s North Carolina hub. “We put ourselves on an island.

“I feel like that can be an advantage and a disadvantage at times, but overall we control our own destiny. We build all out of own chassis, hang all our own bodies in house. … And that’s a big reason why when we find something, we can keep it to us, right? In Charlotte sometimes when you find an advantage, it can get spread around very quickly, but we can keep it to us up in Sandusky.”

The manufacturer that helped keep Majeski in the game

Majeski’s championship gave ThorSport its sixth title in 12 seasons and Ford its sixth drivers championship in seven years.

Ford continued to help Majeski after the end at Roush Fenway, and he has been with the manufacturer throughout much of his career.

“They gave me my first shot,” Majeski said. “I always ran Ford motors, engines in my late models. We were always a part of their program at obviously a very low level. Ford and Roush gave me my first opportunity to sort of burst my way into the NASCAR scene. I call it the NASCAR funnel. Once you get in that funnel, you can kind of create different opportunities for yourself once you’re in that funnel.

“They gave me a simulation job in 2019 after Roush shut down their Xfinity program. Gave me a little bit of money. Every sim session I did – I didn’t do many of them, but it was enough to keep my head above water. … That was in correlation with the Chad Bryant ARCA Racing program. I was able to win (four ARCA) races, and I was able to kind of keep my head above water in the NASCAR scene and give me my next opportunity with Niece Motorsports.”

Majeski remembers those who got him to where he is

Majeski has continued to race on his super late model in bigger events in his home state and elsewhere. In fact it was after he won the Snowball Derby in Pensacola, Florida, in 2020 that he connected with Thorsport.

Majeski’s short track crew chief, Toby Nuttleman, was able to join the celebration in Phoenix – equipped with the plastic French fry given to him by his granddaughter he considers his good luck charm.

“Even though he wasn’t a part of this specific championship, he’s a huge reason why I’m here talking to you right now as 2024 NASCAR Truck Series champion,” Majeski said.

“You surround yourself with good people and stay grounded and never think you’re the best. That’s exactly when you are going to get beat. So just keeping grounded. Always keeping your head down. Always trying to get better each and every race. Whether you win or not, there’s always something that you could have probably done better in that race.”

Majeski is connected to Wisconsin’s first NASCAR champion, Alan Kulwicki

Of the Wisconsin drivers to win NASCAR national series championships, Majeski was the first to do so at Phoenix.

The late Alan Kulwicki capped his 1992 Winston Cup run at Atlanta Motor Speedway and in 2003 Matt Kenseth won his in Rockingham, North Carolina. Travis Kvapil (2003), Ted Musgrave (2005), and Sauter (2016) all claimed their truck series title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.

Of those who preceded Majeski, he had the most in common with Kulwicki, a Polish, Catholic, college-educated engineer. Coincidentally, Kulwicki picked up his first Cup victory in Phoenix’s NASCAR debut in 1988.

Majeski was the top finisher in the inaugural Kulwicki Driver Development Program, which was launched in 2015 to help young racers and keep Kulwicki’s legacy alive.

“To come here as a NASCAR champion and do that Polish victory lap is so special for that program and Alan’s legacy,” Majeski said. “Was happy to carry that legacy on tonight. He was definitely in my thoughts as I was doing that victory lap.

“Their program was really a jump-start to my career. It forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and run different races. … We went and put on a great season together in 2015 that propelled me to that championship.

“We were able to use that money (more than $54,000) to build a new race car, and that race car went on to win us a ton of races. It’s just funny how one little situation can force you to win a championship and make a little bit of money and put that money back into the racing program and build a really good race car that puts you in position to win races.

“That’s why I’m sitting here today. Just happy to carry that Wisconsin flag. A lot of great race car drivers have come out of Wisconsin and just super honored to be able to carry that flag this evening.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: WIsconsin racer Ty Majeski celebrates 2024 NASCAR Truck championship