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Ty Majeski finally adds his name as a NASCAR winner. Is he now a favorite at Phoenix?

It had been long journey for Ty Majeski to pick up his first NASCAR win. He had bounced around the NASCAR Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series from 2017 to 2020, and after an early dismissal from Niece Motorsports in 2020, Majeski joined ThorSport Racing for 2021 — not as a driver, but as an employee. Majeski was able to piece together a four-race schedule in 2021, and he was awarded a full-time schedule for 2022 after impressing in his limited starts.

It took five years, but Majeski finally found his footing at ThorSport this season. He had scored eight top fives in the 18 races leading up to Bristol Motor Speedway, and he had led 158 laps in the three races prior to last night.

All the puzzle pieces were put in place for Majeski on Thursday night (Sept. 15) in Bristol. Majeski had been a top-five truck for much of the night, and he made his lone pit stop under the lap 86 caution. After several leaders pitted at the end of stage two on lap 116, Majeski found himself in the top five with 84 laps remaining. He worked his way up to second early in the final stage, and he took the lead from Zane Smith on a restart with 45 laps remaining. Majeski then kept the field at bay for a final restart with 12 laps to go before cruising to his first Truck Series win.

It was a win that was years in the making, and with just three races to go in the Truck Series season, Majeski became the first driver to punch his ticket to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 4.

More: Tracking the Trucks: Ty Majeski’s First Win Comes at Perfect Time

Majeski declined to do a burnout after winning, much to the chagrin of the fans in attendance. And although he never disclosed why he decided not to, the answer may lie with the Phoenix race more than a month down the road.

Majeski and the No. 66 team have been on rails on a run of short tracks that began four races ago. He led 71 laps and finished eighth at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) in July, and he followed it up with a third-place finish and 73 laps led at Richmond Raceway in August. The next short track race was Bristol, where he collected his maiden win.

With how good Majeski has been on short tracks, the No. 66 team is likely preparing to use the same truck for Phoenix. If that’s the case, it’s a no-brainer to preserve it for the biggest race of the season.

Majeski may not have the number of wins that Zane…

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