Midwest Star Majeski Hoping to Add Derby Win to Résumé
Pensacola, FL – It’s a pretty good day for any up-and-coming race car driver when the sport’s most popular driver gives you a shout out on Twitter.
That’s exactly what happened for Ty Majeski this week when NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. gave props to Majeski, calling him “the deal” after the rising star won the prestigious Florida Governor’s Cup at New Smyrna Speedway.
With that big win, the ARCA Midwest Tour championship and a tip of the cap from “Junior,” the Wisconsin driver is preparing to head back to the Sunshine State during the first week of December with hopes of winning the most prestigious Late Model event of them all, the 48th Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway.
Majeski dominated in the Midwest this year, picking up 18 wins and defending his ARCA Midwest Tour title, but had yet to win a “big” race outside of the Midwest. That was, until last weekend, when Majeski charged from the back of the field to win the 50th Florida Governor’s Cup. Now, fresh off his win at New Smyrna Speedway, he packs his bags for his second straight trip to the Snowball Derby.
“We’ve really had good race cars for the second half of the season,” Majeski said. “We really hit on something. We wanted to go down to the Governor’s Cup and get a sense of where we were compared to some of the other guys that would go to the Derby. We felt like we compared pretty well.”
A year ago Majeski’s trip to Five Flags Speedway didn’t begin on a great note. The driver from Seymour, Wisconsin struggled in practice and failed to make the race on time.
“We weren’t that good in practice and we changed all four shocks and springs right before qualifying,” said Majeski. “I spun on the first lap and actually almost made the race on the second one. They’re really good qualifiers down there and they do things differently than we do up here so that makes it tough too.”
Majeski went on to race his way into the Snowball Derby starting field through the last chance race and drove from his 32nd starting spot to a 19th-place finish.
“A lot of tire strategy last year prevented us from getting a top 10,” said Majeski. “I think we had a 20th place car, but with the guys that wrecked out we could have finished in the top 10.”
With last years’ experience under his belt and tons of success so far in 2015, Majeski feels better than ever heading down to Pensacola, FL in two weeks.
“I’m hoping to go down there and be competitive,” said Majeski. “I think our cars are better and my team is better so we should be pretty competitive.”
A win on Derby Sunday would add Majeski’s name to an elite list. Only one driver, Ed Howe in 1972, has ever won both the Governor’s Cup and the Snowball Derby in the same year.
“It would be huge,” said Majeski. “It would be the biggest win of my career for sure. Winning the Governor’s Cup and then following that up by winning the Derby would be really special. Not too many guys have done that I think. It would be pretty special.”
The 48th Annual Snowball Derby weekend kicks off with the Cat Country/WEAR-TV3 Green Flag Party on Wednesday, December 2. On-track activities start Thursday, December 3, for the opening practice rounds for the Snowball Derby Super Late Models and Snowflake 100 Pro Late Models. The Five Flags Butler U-Pull-It Bombers and Beef ‘O’Brady’s Sportsman divisions will also have feature events on Snowball Derby Thursday.
The top Snowball Derby starting spots will be set on Friday, December 4 during WXBM 102.7 Pole Night at Five Flags. The Five Flags Faith Chapel Super Stocks and Modifieds will also battle in their Snowball Derby features after Super Late Model qualifying.
The Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 takes center stage on Saturday, December 5 as the top Pro Late Model racers in the country qualify and battle for 100 laps at Five Flags. In addition, Saturday’s action features the final 50-lap qualifying event for Snowball Derby drivers to make one last effort to qualify for the 300-lap Super Late Model race. The Better Built Tool Box Pro Trucks will also have a 50-lap feature on Snowball Derby Saturday.
Then on Sunday, December 6, the green flag will drop on the 48th Annual Snowball Derby at 2 p.m. CT at Pensacola, Florida’s Five Flags Speedway.
Fans unable to make it to Pensacola, Florida for the Snowball Derby can watch all of the action through a live online TV style pay-per-view broadcast on Speed51 TV. A four-day video ticket can be purchased now for $59.99 allowing fans to watch all of the action from Five Flags Speedway. Single-day video tickets are also available. Visit Speed51.com for more information.
For more information on the 48th Annual Snowball Derby weekend at Five Flags Speedway, visit www.snowballderby.com. All media credential requests and inquiries for the Snowball Derby can be sent to Matt Kentfield at matt@51sports.net and/or Pat Bryant at pat@snowballderby.com.
Sources: 51 Sports/Snowball Derby PR