Majeski hopes Daytona test opens the door

Seymour's Ty Majeski is taking that next step toward racing in the big leagues.

The 20-year-old is hot off earning the ARCA Midwest Tour super late model championship. Majeski is the first driver to earn the title as a series rookie.

In December, Majeski, a mechanical engineering student at UW-Madison, will test an ARCA Racing Series car for Bill Kimmel Racing at Daytona International Speedway. ARCA Racing Series cars are similar to older NASCAR Sprint Cup machines. Last year, the series consisted of 20 races, including events at Daytona, Talladega Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway and Kansas Speedway. Many of the series' drivers race for a living.

Former series champion Andy Hillenburg will be Majeski's mentor for the test.

"It will be in front of some ARCA teams," Majeski said. "I've never raced a track that big (2½ miles), so it should be a great experience."

Majeski's opportunity opened as a direct result from his Midwest Tour title.

"I'm really hoping some sponsors recognize that I am in this for the long haul, and I feel I can deliver," Majeski said. "I think with the right support in place I can explore the next level of racing."

Majeski had what he called a "bipolar" weekend to secure the Midwest Tour crown at Oktoberfest at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway earlier this month.

"I had fast time with the ARCA car, but suffered significant damage to it when we got caught up in someone else's mess in the heat race," Majeski said.

In the main event, Majeski battled a sick motor that was running on seven cylinders but limped home ninth and mustered enough points to beat out former Midwest Tour champion and former NASCAR Truck Series racer Nathan Haseleu of Marshall for the championship.

"Most of the guys I raced with all year seemed genuinely pretty happy for me," Majeski said. "I tried my best to race clean all season long. It doesn't pay to make enemies on the track."

Majeski won two Midwest Tour events — at Schererville, Ind., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa — en route to the title. He also won the Red Race at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna and was leading the points standings in the Red, White and Blue State Championship Series until mechanical problems ended his title hopes at the Blue Race.

Even though WIR is just minutes from his Seymour home, Majeski doesn't really have a favorite track, he says.

"That was the neat thing about the touring series. You've got to figure stuff out pretty fast when you're at a new venue every couple of weeks" Majeski said.

"I think that is a strong skill of mine. In fact, the two wins in the Midwest Tour this year were at tracks I've never been to before."

With being a full-time student, Majeski has learned to balance his racing career with his studies.

"I know I need an education to fall back on if the racing thing doesn't pan out," he said. "I'm on the Formula 1 race car development club here at Madison, so we are working on the school car here. It's a great way to apply my engineering studies to a project that relates directly to my passion."

Majeski has some professors who've been working with him to make up exams when his classroom and racing schedules conflict.

His parents, Brad and Sue Majeski, have been big supporters of his racing career, which dates back to his karting days as 9-year-old.

As for defending his title in 2015?

"It's really up in the air," Majeski said. "I'd like to be doing something on more of a full-time basis should it pan out."

Majeski plans to chase more big dollar-higher profile super late model races in the South to expose himself further in the heart of NASCAR country. His team is based in La Crosse with crew chief Toby Nuttleman.

"We plan on going down for the Snowball Derby in Pensacola, Fla., in December," Majeski said. "It's all about seat time and experience."