Tracking the Trucks: Ty Majeski Brings Home ThorSport’s 4th Title in 6 Years

In A Nutshell

By putting on an absolute clinic at Phoenix Raceway, Ty Majeski secured both his third win of the season and the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship.

After qualifying on pole earlier in the afternoon, Majeski dominated the day, leading 132 of 150 laps and winning the race by over four seconds ahead of second-place finisher Corey Heim. The title is Majeski’s first and ThorSport Racing’s sixth, including four titles in six years and two straight championships after it won with Ben Rhodes last season.

The Top Truckers at Phoenix Raceway

Winner, Champion, Polesitter, Stage 2 Winner, Most Laps Led (132 of 150 laps): Ty Majeski
Stage 1 Winner: Corey Heim
Biggest Mover: Jake Garcia (started 27th, finished 14th)
Rookie of the Race: Layne Riggs

Top Storylines of the Race

• It was revealed midweek Andres Perez would make his second Truck Series start of the season, driving the No. 04 for Roper Racing in place of Marco Andretti. The reason for the change is not yet known.
• A Frankie Muniz spin on lap 42 nearly resulted in Heim piledriving the No. 27 due to the difference in speed. Coincidentally, it was Heim’s teammate William Sawalich that sent Muniz swirling and nearly ended his teammate’s championship hopes. Muniz continued on, but crashed hard in a multi-truck accident later in the race, ending his night early.
• The second wreck Muniz was caught in started when Tyler Ankrum got turned in front of the field, resulting in numerous trucks piling in. All drivers were able to get out under their own power, with Muniz needing some assistance to a nearby ambulance. The crash briefly brought out a red flag.

Championship Rundown

Introducing your 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, from Seymour, Wisc. — Ty Majeski.

The 2024 @craftsman Truck Series Champion. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/IdnfeRIYAs

— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) November 9, 2024

Majeski fended off Corey Heim and Christian Eckes, who finished second and third, as well as Grant Enfinger (fifth) to win his first career title. Heim and Enfinger came up short for the second year in a row, meaning Eckes moves onto the Xfinity Series without a championship to show for his work in the Truck Series.

Rookie Report

The Rookie of the Year wins Rookie of the Race once again.

Despite a late-race spin, Layne Riggs rebounded to finish 10th, giving himself and his Front Row Motorsports team momentum heading into 2025 after a rocky start to 2024.

No. 02 – Nathan Byrd (26th)
No. 04 – Andres Perez (31st)
No. 25 – Dawson Sutton (20th)
No. 27 – Frankie Muniz (34th)
No. 38 – Layne Riggs (10th)
No. 46 – Thad Moffitt (27th)
No. 66 – Conner Jones (17th)

One Big Takeaway From This Race

Say what you want about the playoffs — it’s been a hot topic of debate as of late. But these are the cards the drivers have been dealt. They have to race the system they’re given, and there’s nothing they can do about that.

Why do I start here? Because ThorSport Racing has always found a way to be in contention at the end. As mentioned earlier, it’s the team’s fourth driver’s title in six seasons, with the group only coming up empty-handed in 2020 and 2022. None of those four title runs were dominant for the winning driver. In fact, each season had someone far-and-away more “deserving” of a title if the series had a year-long points system.

But, time after time, ThorSport has found a way to sneak into the Championship 4, then throw the kitchen sink into its Phoenix truck(s). The end result is pulling off a surprising title run while the dominant, more “deserving” truck flounders.

It was wash, rinse and repeat for the team in 2024, this time with Majeski. The group was able to hold on to make the Championship 4 after Eckes nudged Taylor Gray out of the lead at Martinsville Speedway. Thorsport then decided to throw everything it had into the No. 98 truck to try and defeat the more dominant drivers of the season: Heim and Eckes.

The plan worked.

While Heim and Eckes leave 2024 empty-handed, Majeski will deliver another crown back to Ohio.

The organization may not have been the most deserving on paper, but the Ohio-based team rose to the occasion when it mattered most.

It’s the ThorSport way.

Talkin’ Truckers

Prior to the weekend, each of the Championship 4 drivers spoke to the media:

After qualifying, Conner Jones, returning from his one-race suspension, apologized for his role in crashing Matt Mills at Homestead-Miami Speedway:

Brett Moffitt discussed how his deal with Hettinger Racing came together and what the future holds for both parties in 2025:

Perez says the call to the bullpen to replace Andretti last minute is a sign of his 2025 plans:

Jack Wood suffered a hard crash in stage 2. He explained what happened afterward:

Muniz, Sawalich and Ankrum gave their thoughts on the Big One that brought out the red flag briefly in the middle of the race:

Connor Mosack said that the collision with Eckes “killed the right side of our truck” en route to an eighth-place finish:

Nick Sanchez (fourth) and Riggs break down their respective evenings:

Heim, Eckes and Enfinger share their thoughts after coming up short of the title:

Majeski says the final 20 laps were “the longest 20 laps of my life” before winning the championship:

Paint Scheme of the Race

Young’s Motorsports brought two trucks for a pair of rookies, both with good-looking paint schemes to close out the season.

But the No. 02 was just a little bit better.

Another fire scheme by Mr. Ryan Daley!! 🔥 https://t.co/mdLL3ZZQNI

— Byrdman (@NathanJByrd) November 7, 2024

The No. 02 was driven by Nathan Byrd, making just his third career start in the Truck Series. Byrd gained sponsorship from Sonesta Hotels and GMS (no, not the defunct race team) for the effort.

The paint scheme, a combination of sky blue, neon green, black and white, made for one of the brightest and best-looking trucks on track.

Byrd qualified 33rd and finished 26th.

Next Stop

Time for a rest.

The 2024 Craftsman Truck Series season is officially complete. That makes 30 seasons that have come and gone since this once-experimental division came into being in 1995. Now, it is time for drivers and teams to rest, regroup, and get ready for an all-new season in 2025. After a three-month reset, the Truck Series will be back at it, opening next February at Daytona International Speedway, as it has every year since 2000.

Sanchez won Daytona this season, but he will move up to the Xfinity Series (along with several other Truckers) in 2025. Unless he finds a one-off ride for Daytona, the Floridian will not be able to defend his race win.

Coverage for the 2025 Fresh From Florida 250 will take place on Friday, Feb. 14. The race time is still to be determined, but given it’s a Friday night, expect the race to take place around 7 p.m. ET or so. FOX will provide television coverage of the event, so check your local listings.

Bear in mind that Silly Season has barely begun for the Truck Series, so the offseason will still be busy. It’ll be fun to keep up with in advance of what should be a fun 2025 year ahead.