by Crystal Clay, Chief Motorsports Correspondent
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Ty Majeski, driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150, enters the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway with a mindset shaped by his previous playoff experiences. This marks his third appearance in the postseason, and he emphasizes the importance of staying focused and treating the high-pressure race just like any other, despite any added preparation required for his second Championship 4 run.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to go and compete at a high-level Friday night. I feel like in 2022 I learned a lot just from a mindset of what this all means – being here on Media Day and going through the motions. I kind of know what to expect this time around and feel like that makes me that much more prepared,” he said.
Drawing on the strength of his tight-knit team at ThorSport, highlighting the importance of accountability and the dedicated work of Truck Chief Tyler Shullick and Crew Chief Joe Shear Jr., which has helped them perform at an elite level.
“My 98 team has been really good. We’ve been together for three years now. Obviously, there are some moving pieces, but Joe, I, the truck chief, have been three really solid people throughout our tenure at ThorSport. Tyler Shullick, my truck chief, Joe Shear, my crew chief –we have a great relationship. We work really, really hard in the shop. That’s what it takes. It’s all about attention to detail and understanding and taking accountability of when we’re off, when I’m off, when I make a mistake, when Joe makes a mistake we hold each other accountable, but we’re incredibly close and we push each other to be better. I think that’s one of the biggest reasons we’ve been able to put really good runs together each season.”
On the eve of the season’s finale in Phoenix, Majeski’s mindset is uncomplicated: only focus on what he can control.
“I think the biggest thing is trying to treat this how we treat any other race. There’s more preparation that goes into it, but as far as the mental state of it, you have to treat it just like every other one. You can’t get caught up in the moment and have to sort of make the moment smaller and execute at a high level. There’s a lot that’s out of your control in the past rounds. There are different races and different types of tracks and you’re relying on other people not to win in certain scenarios, so there are really more variables that are out of your control in the previous rounds, so our perspective was all we can do is the best we can do. This race, you kind of control your own destiny a little bit. It’s winner take all. You have to execute at a high level and not make mistakes. You don’t want to do something that’s gonna take you out of it at the end of the race, so I have to be smart and I have to mindful. Stages don’t matter. To this point, stages are a huge deal getting those points, pointing our way to the next round as we did each of these rounds. This week it’s winner take all. Points don’t matter.”
Control what you can, execute flawlessly, and avoid mistakes. For Majeski, that’s the recipe to seize the opportunity and claim the championship.
WATCH Video: Ty Majeski talks to Racing Refresh, NCTS Championship 4 at Phoenix Media Day October 07, 2024
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