Sometimes all it takes is a couple of good days to turn a season’s worth of bad luck around.
That’s what happened for four-time ARCA Midwest Tour champion Ty Majeski (No. 22 Crestliner Ford). After a disappointing 2018 season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Majeski is now looking for his third consecutive ARCA Menards Series win in Friday’s ARCA Menards Series VizCom 200 at Michigan International Speedway. Majeski is coming off his first career series victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway and followed it with his second consecutive win in the series’ most recent race at Pocono.
Majeski’s 2018 season could only be called a disaster. With high expectations, he joined former ARCA champion Chase Briscoe and former ARCA winner Austin Cindric in a car fielded by Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The trio struggled throughout the year, and Majeski’s average finish was a dismal 24th as he scored just two top-ten finishes in 12 starts. Not only was it a season to forget, it was a season that could have brought his career to an early end.
But the Seymour, Wisconsin native was determined to keep himself in the seat. Following in Briscoe’s footsteps, he latched on to Chad Bryant Racing. Like Briscoe did before him, he worked in the shop while hoping for an opportunity to race. That opportunity came at Talladega, where he qualified second and finished fourth. That opened the door for added races, and he won the second time out in Charlotte. He followed it with his second straight series win at Pocono.
Those two good days, Majeski hopes, have turned momentum back in his favor.
“It’s been a good couple of weeks that’s for sure. It just goes to show the effort from these Chad Bryant Racing guys,” Majeski said. “They work their tails off in the shop into the early morning hours and back by 7:00 a.m. to get after it again. Their hard work is paying off and I’m just the lucky guy behind the wheel. We’ll keep riding this momentum as long as we can and look for another opportunity to get into Victory Lane at Michigan.”
Majeski will be making his second appearance with the ARCA Menards Series in the Irish Hills of Michigan in the VizCom 200. He started sixth and finished sixth in 2017 driving cars prepared by his team owner Chad Bryant.
“It’s been almost two years since I’ve been to Michigan, but I’m looking forward to going back,” he said. “It’s a fast place with a lot of speed and finesse. It’s a big place, so there’s ample opportunity to pass. I finished sixth there in 2017 driving for Cunningham Motorsports and think we can do better than that on Friday.”
With only a limited number of starts planned for 2019, Majeski knows he has to maximize every opportunity behind the wheel.
“Sure, it’s important to maximize every opportunity,” he said. “In my three races so far with Chad Bryant Racing, I think we’ve done that. Three top-fives and two wins is pretty good. It doesn’t happen though without the hard work of Paul (Andrews) and the No. 22 guys. Right now, I only have three races left, Michigan, Chicago and Kansas and I certainly want to make best of those opportunities. No doubt Chad (Bryant, team owner) is giving me the chance to do that.”
Majeski’s crew chief Paul Andrews is a former Michigan winner, going to victory lane with Geoff Bodine in 1994. A former NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief with Alan Kulwicki in 1992, Andrews will be going for his third consecutive win as a crew chief for the first time in his career. Majeski is no stranger to racking up multiple wins in a row; he won five consecutive ARCA Midwest Tour races in 2017 on his way to his fourth consecutive series championship.
Practice for the VizCom 200 at Michigan International Speedway is slated for 8 am ET on Friday, June 7, followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying at 12 noon, with the 100-lap, 200-mile race slated to go green shortly after 6 pm ET. The race will be televised live on FS1. ARCA for Me members can access free live timing & scoring, live track updates, and live chat for all on-track sessions at ARCARacing.com. New users can register for free with a valid email address at ARCARacing.com/login. For ticket information log on to MISpeedway.com or call 888-905-7223.
