Joey Logano may have grabbed the limelight of NASCAR’s top series. But the sanctioning body’s third tier of racing is currently the domain of a multi-talented champion. Ty Majeski won two races in the Craftsman Truck Series, before finally stamping his third win at the championship race in Phoenix. He recently picked up a prestigious Late Model race victory, with a hefty prize money as well.

So it seems that the champion’s flame of success is unhindered. That should be bad news for this year’s competitors at the Snowball Derby, a Super Late Model race in Florida. The 57th running of this hallowed event will be much anticipated, as Majeski dominated the 56th one.

Ty Majeski is the talk of the town

Well, he should be, considering his thumping success last year. Ty Majeski had lost the lead after a gripping, multi-lap battle with Stephen Nasse at the 2023 Snowball Derby. However, Lady Luck smiled at Majeski as Nasse and Bubba Pollard crashed with 6 laps left. Majeski grabbed the lead and held onto it for his second Derby win.

He won the 300-lap endurance test at the challenging half-mile oval for the first time in 2020. What is more, Majeski is one of just 12 drivers to score multiple Snowball Derby victories during the event’s 56-year history. Throw in his achievements from other series, and you have got a recipe for a true racing champion.

“I can’t believe it,” Ty Majeski himself admitted after winning the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. He led 132 of 150 total laps and was four seconds clear of his nearest rival when he crossed the finish line. The ThorSport Racing driver rose in their ranks from race engineer to champion and this triumph had him brimming with confidence heading into the post-season, already notching up a win!

Majeski ran the 9th Annual Noland’s Roofing Bill Bigley Sr. Memorial 128 last Saturday. Not only did he earn $4,000 for setting a fast time in qualifying, but also claimed the $30,000 winner’s prize. Majeski took the lead from Luke Fenhaus on lap 17 and led the rest of the way in a dominant showing.

So his Snowball Derby competitors should be more than worried. Among his stronger rivals is Noah Gragson, the 2018 Snowball Derby winner and current Cup Series driver. Competing in the last two Snowball Derby’s, Gragson recorded top-five qualifying efforts in both but finished 20th and 23rd. Xfinity star Chandler Smith is also a tough rival as he won the race in 2021. Smith led a trailblazer season in the Xfinity series, picking up two wins and clinching 17 top-five finishes. Yet Ty Majeski might just outsmart them all, as the Truck champion understands a unique tire situation this year.

Less fall-off at the Derby

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Super Late Model and Late Model Stock races this year have encountered changes in the construction process and the compound of tires. For instance, The CARS Tour began the season on ST2s and ultimately reverted to F45s to finish the season. After some testing, Hoosier brought the ST1/ST3 combination for the most prestigious Late Model race of the year, the Snowball Derby. This tire combination is going to alter the nature of the race a lot as compared to previous years. According to Ty Majeski, the right-side tire will be harder, thereby decreasing the fall-off.

The Truck champion expanded on his expert analysis of the tire scenario. “It’s going to be a much harder right-side tire — the same tire we run at Nashville and Winchester, those places. That’s going to be the biggest difference this year. I don’t think you’re going to see as much falloff, or I should say, as much wear.” 

He added that this would create a disparity between the fast and the slow racers. “The fall off will be more heat related as opposed to the tire wearing out. I’m excited to get down there for sure. It’s going to be a much different race. You’re not going to see as many comers and goers. You’re going to see the cars that have raw speed run good all day.”

Evidently, Ty Majeski is a formidable threat at this year’s Snowball Derby. With a solid field of Late Model experts, the race is bound to be a thrilling one.