---

Majeski Hoping to Finally Capitalize at the Snowball Derby

Two drivers have dominated the Super Late Model scene the last few years.  No drivers have won more than Ty Majeski and Bubba Pollard. However, neither driver has won the Snowball Derby.  Of those two, Majeski has come the closest the last two years, finishing third each time. Now, the Seymour, Wisconsin driver is hoping that this year, the 50th year for the Snowball Derby, is the year he gets to hoist the Tom Dawson Trophy high above his head.

Majeski heads to Pensacola, Florida for the December 3rd race now as a four-time and defending champion of the ARCA Midwest Tour, a three-time Florida Governor’s Cup winner, and with a newly signed partial schedule NASCAR XFINITY Series contract with Roush Fenway Racing all on his resume. He’s also boasting a winning percentage of more than 50-percent. Majeski himself is even unsure of the exact number, but he knows he’s done a lot of winning.

“We’ve had by far our best season to date statistically-wise,� Majeski told Speed51.com powered by JEGS. “We haven’t raced 60 races like we have the last two years but we’ve won almost just as many and our winning percentage is well over 50-percent, which is pretty remarkable. We won half the Midwest Tour races and all of the big premier stuff that we’ve won the last two years. We’ve had a great season to date.�

However, each of his two prior seasons had been the “best to date� for Majeski, but both times he failed to win the biggest race of the year.

In 2015, pit road troubles plagued him all race long. Majeski said that an assembly issue caused their lugnuts to fall off the wheel every time the new tire was placed on the hub. His tire changers had to pick up all five lugnuts off the ground, causing him to lose more than 10 spots seemingly every stop.

But 2016 was a different story. 2016 saw something happen to Majeski that almost never happens to that No. 91 team. Everything went his way. And then it didn’t.

“Last year played into our favor with the rain and the controlled cautions. We just didn’t have the car to capitalize. The cautions fell our way. We put tires on it at the right time, we were leading with 15 to go and we just flat-out got beat. That doesn’t happen to us too often where we just get passed leading a race with 15 to go. But unfortunately it did.�

Winning races had almost gotten so easy for Majeski and his team that he said he’s almost glad they’ve faced these trials and tribulations at the last two Snowball Derbies. Obviously he’d have rather won both of those races, but if he wins this one, Majeski said it’ll feel that much sweeter.

“We’ve been so close. Last offseason was awful for us. We were so disappointed,â€? Majeski admitted.  “It definitely hurt. It was a long offseason, but I think it made us better and we are better prepared this year. I’m really looking forward to the challenge.â€?

One of the things Majeski feels will be much better this year will be their pit stops. He said he will still have his wide five wheel and hub assembly, but he and his team figured out how to fix their issue from 2015.  Majeski said he also will have a different pit crew this time around as well.

“We’ve learned a lot the last two years down at the Derby that will help us better prepare. I’ve got some of my buddies at Roush coming down this year to help pit the car, we’ve got good equipment and our assembly for the pit stops should be right. I’m not looking to be the fastest car on pit road because I know that’s not going to happen, especially with Kyle Busch being there. I just don’t want to lose 15 or 20 spots like we did in 2015 too. If we can go and lose two, three or four spots, as long as we have the car right we’ll be able to overcome that.�

If everything goes right, Majeski thinks they may just find themselves in a position to win once again. However, he wouldn’t go as far as to guarantee anything for one simple reason.

“It’s definitely the hardest race to win, no doubt about it, in the entire country. Everything has to go your way.�

Race fans can watch Ty Majeski go for the Tom Dawson trophy live on Speed51.com via a live television-style broadcast. To purchase your five-day Snowball Derby video ticket package, click here.

-By Rob Blount, Speed51.com Southeast Editor – Twitter: @RobBlount

-Photo Credit: Speed51.com

Back to News