Majeski grabs second Slinger Nationals title
SLINGER – You couldn't tell from watching the race, but Ty Majeski wasn't quite himself Wednesday night.
He controlled the Slinger Nationals, fended off strong challengers, survived a scare and lapped all the way up to fifth place. The performance was vintage Majeski as he won one of the most important races of his season for the second time.
Yet Majeski's million-watt smile was down on power. The trophy looked heavy in his arms on a swampy, 80-degree night.
“I'm completely drained, lightheaded and everything,” said Majeski, covered in sweat and grit and champagne.
“I'm just trying to stay awake here. Hopefully we can get this thing through tech and go up with the fans and sign some autographs.”
The 25-year-old from Seymour – one of the most successful bigrace barnstormers on the national super-late model scene over the past five years – was the star of a show held over after a deluge hit Slinger Speedway on Tuesday night.
Majeski led 146 of the 200 laps, escaped on the restart after the halfway break, and beat Casey Johnson by 0.598 for the 102nd victory of his career.
Statistically, Majeski was more dominant than two years ago, when he led the final 131 laps, but damage to the nose of his car from running into the back of a lapped car and balky power steering made this one a lot more work.
“That was definitely the toughest 100-lap run I've ever had to do in any type of car at any type of track,” said Majeski, who is in his first full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“The heat on top of the circumstances, it was a tough one, but that makes it worth it.”
Luke Fenhaus finished third; Derek Kraus was fourth, racing his way through the field after an early incident; and John DeAngelis came in fifth, last on the lead lap, to
Weekend schedule Saturday
10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – Practice
– Qualifying (NBCSN)
– REV Group Grand Prix Race 1 (55 laps/220.77 miles) (NBCSN)
– Qualifying complete an five.
Fenhaus and Johnson both gave Majeski all he could handle after the midway break, but neither could take advantage of what would be their best opportunity.
Travelers had a rough night. Bubba Pollard of Georgia, the 2017 winner, dropped out with handling problems, Sammy Smith, a Toyota development driver from Iowa, pulled off after tangling with Johnny Sauter, and Carson Hocevar, a prospect from Michigan, suffered a suspension failure.
Floridian Stephen Nasse finished seventh in his second try at the Nationals, and Corey Heim – whose qualifying run Tuesday was interrupted by rain – went home to Georgia with a 13th-place finish.
Plenty of locals also had trouble, most notably Steve Apel, winner of three of the past four regular Sunday night races, who crashed in traffic moments after he'd been passed for the lead by Majeski.
Traffic was a challenge all night. After the mess created by the weather Tuesday night, all 28 cars started the feature on the quartermile track.
“I knew Casey was coming and knowing my situation … I was just trying to hang on and knew I had to get through lapped traffic and quick,” Majeski said. “I couldn't spend time playing around with those lapped cars. I had to pass them quick.”
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