NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – Ty Majeski reached a career milestone Saturday night during the finale to the World Series of Asphalt Racing at New Smyrna Speedway.
The Seymour, Wis., ace earned his 100th feature victory barely 24 hours after a wild crash in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series opener at nearby Daytona Int’l Speedway left him skidding through turn one on his roof.
But Majeski shook that crash off, came back to New Smyrna and dominated Saturday night when it mattered most.
He took the lead on lap 72 from race-long pacesetter Anthony Sergi and never looked back, driving out to a 2.075-second victory over Brad May by the time the checkered flag waved.
“This is really special. We got win No. 99 in October, (and) it felt like we were so close to getting 100 so long ago. Just really proud of my entire team, I couldn’t have done it without them,” Majeski said in victory lane. “A hundred wins is unbelievable in five or six years. I have a lot of good people that’s surrounding me to get to this point and to thank for that opportunity.”
Though the win did come for Majeski, it almost didn’t as he battled brake issues at one point during the second half of the race.
“We were losing brakes there when I was racing with Sergi, trying to manage them and they were going almost all the way to the floor,” he noted. “I was about the let the No. 9 (May) by, I took a desperation shot to the top and it stuck. I was trying to pump the brakes really hard trying to get the thing to hang in there and the brakes came back there during that caution.
“The car was pretty decent tonight and we got it done.”
May came home second ahead of California young gun Jesse Love, while New Englander Derek Griffith crossed the finish line in fourth. All three won super late model features during the nine-day World Series stretch.
Griffith’s fourth-place finish was enough to secure the World Series points championship for the first time in his young career. May edged Love for second in the final standings.
Bubba Pollard completed the top five in his only start of the week, followed by Sammy Smith, Ryan Moore, Sergi, Justin Mondeik and Daniel Dye.
The finish:
Ty Majeski, Brad May, Jesse Love, Derek Griffith, Bubba Pollard, Sammy Smith, Ryan Moore, Anthony Sergi, Justin Mondeik, Daniel Dye, Stephen Nasse, Todd Stone, Jake Garcia, Colin Garrett, Jerry Artuso, Trey Bayne, Austin MacDonald, Gus Dean, Brad Kossow, Steve Weaver, TJ Duke, Patrick Thomas, Kyle Sieg, Augie Grill, Vincent Staggs.