Ty Majeski secured his Ty Majeski Championship 4 advancement in dramatic fashion at Martinsville Speedway, finishing seventh and booking his place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title race at Phoenix, while Layne Riggs lost out on a tiebreaker, despite claiming third. This high-pressure playoff round, held at Martinsville, saw a tense fight for the final transfer spots as drivers vied for a chance at the championship, with Kaden Honeycutt edging out Riggs on points.
Majeski Advances to Phoenix After Gritty Finish
Ty Majeski, representing Ford and driving the No. 98 Soda Sense/Curb Records Ford F-150, delivered a resilient performance that clinched his third Championship 4 appearance in four years. Majeski’s journey to Phoenix was not without challenges; despite strong qualifying and stage points, he found the car’s setup challenging once battling in traffic. He highlighted the efforts of his crew, whose swift pit work helped preserve essential track position, ultimately allowing him to defend his series crown at the season-ending race.
“Obviously, I have mixed emotions. We come to a short track and we expect to be a little bit more competitive than that, but we qualified good, got good stage points and that was the difference tonight. I knew once we got back in traffic we were in pretty big trouble. I kind of knew from when we unloaded this thing today that it wasn’t quite right, but we persevered and got good stage points. The crew guys had a hell of a pit stop and kept our track position and I was just kind of playing defense at the end. It was just good enough.”
Ty Majeski, Driver
As the closing laps unfolded, Majeski remained focused on gaining every possible position, fully aware that the playoff cutoff would hinge on every point. His vigilance paid off as the final restart enabled him to secure the additional spots needed to advance. He noted that while the aggressive style required was not ideal, the entire team’s refusal to give up made the difference.
“I was just trying to get every spot. I knew it was gonna come down to a handful of points, if not one or two and it did. Obviously, it wasn’t the fashion we wanted to do it in, but I’m proud of everybody for not giving up. We got a good restart at the end and was able to grab one or two spots I think and that was the difference.”
Ty Majeski, Driver
Brake issues added another dimension of difficulty in the race’s final moments, with Majeski relying on past experience to manage the problem and use late-race cautions to retain braking ability. These cooling breaks became crucial in maintaining control during pressure-laden restarts.
“I’ve been in that position before. You lose brakes not often but enough to have some experience, just trying to get everything cooled down and trying to get the brake pedal back. Honestly, the stacked cautions at the end really helped us. I was able to get everything cooled down and get the brake pedal back.”
Ty Majeski, Driver
The effort culminated in another shot at the championship for the crew and driver, fueling optimism despite the trepidation over the car’s initial setup and the intense playoff environment at a track notorious for contact and aggressive maneuvers.
Layne Riggs Misses Out After Playoff Tiebreak Thriller
Layne Riggs arrived at Martinsville with hopes of advancing to the championship round, piloting the No. 38 Bare Knuckles Boxing Ford F-150 to an impressive third-place finish. Despite his efforts, Riggs found himself eliminated due to a tiebreaker, as Kaden Honeycutt matched his points tally but earned the playoff berth on results.
“I was dejected even when I thought we were in at first. I just don’t like racing that way. I’m hearing, ‘Gotta get one. Gotta get one.’ And everybody knows how it is. If I’ve got the opportunity to get in for my team, I’m gonna do it even if I don’t want to do it the way I do. I mean, I got there at the end. I hate I roughed up the 1 and I’m glad he still finished pretty good. It all kind of started with that missed shift on that restart. I’m not really sure what happened. I’ve never missed a shift in a truck in my whole career. We do have some new transmissions and I guess I’m just not quite used to them yet, so I’m pretty upset about that. I think things could have been a lot different, but it all started at the ROVAL and getting turned around on lap one. We go to Talladega and having all the issues we had. I’m definitely dejected. I would have been dejected if we were even in fourth. I just don’t like it.”
Layne Riggs, Driver
Riggs shared his frustration with the playoff format and the circumstances leading up to his elimination, highlighting the intense pressure and tough choices drivers must make in such high-stakes situations. He expressed disappointment with the style of racing forced upon competitors, as team orders and last-lap scrambles dictated on-track conduct.
“Even that last lap I thought that we were in and it’s still just upsetting. I just don’t like racing like that. I want to race straight up and how it’s supposed to be, but I’m hearing, ‘Gotta get a spot. You’ve got to get one.’ I’m gonna do what my team tells me to do to get in this championship. Roughing guys up, I don’t really want to rough up – they’ve done nothing to me in the past. I just don’t like racing like that. I don’t like how it comes down to the end like this and how people have to race, especially at a track like Martinsville. It’s never been my favorite race of the year, but this 34 team did a great job all year. I would have been on the disappointed side even if we were in. It’s just really odd how it all plays out with these playoff formats, but I’m excited for the future with this race team – coming back with them and fighting for it again next year. We’ve been strong all year. I’m not gonna hang my head about today. We’ve had such a great year all year long and battled up front. I learned a lot and excited to see what our future holds.”
Layne Riggs, Driver
This intense battle toward the championship cutoff line was compounded by equipment adjustments—such as new transmissions—and incidents at prior races like the ROVAL and Talladega, which created additional adversity for Riggs and his No. 34 team. Despite feeling let down by the outcome, Riggs remained optimistic about his return with the same group for another title challenge next year.
Other Ford Drivers’ Finishing Positions
Alongside Ty Majeski’s seventh-place finish, the Ford camp saw Chandler Smith come home in sixth, while Ben Rhodes finished in 14th position. Jake Garcia crossed the line in 18th, with recognizable names like Frankie Muniz and Casey Mears finishing 23rd and 24th, respectively. Veteran Matt Crafton ended his night in 29th, followed by AJ Waller in 32nd and Clayton Green in 35th. These results reflect the range of outcomes experienced by Ford’s diverse roster throughout the challenging event. Participants such as Jake Garcia, Ben Rhodes, Chandler Smith, Casey Mears, and others played distinctive roles in the outcome and intensity of the race at Martinsville Speedway.
Intensity at Martinsville Sets the Stage for Phoenix
The pressure-packed evening at Martinsville Speedway set up a final confrontation in Phoenix that will determine the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion. The atmosphere was shaped by the rigid playoff format, aggressive on-track competition, and technical hurdles like missed shifts and brake issues. Drivers like Ty Majeski and Layne Riggs demonstrated both the mental strain and emotional toll of racing under these conditions, reflecting the high stakes that define this phase of the season.
Majeski’s Ty Majeski Championship 4 advancement positions him and his crew among the elite, with the group’s consistent excellence through recent seasons earning them another opportunity at the crown. For Riggs, the heartbreak of elimination is tempered by confidence in his team’s capabilities and prospects for future success. As the season heads to its decisive race, the narrative at Martinsville will linger over the series, highlighting the unpredictable variables and intense passions at play in top-tier stock car racing.
The remaining contenders now look ahead to Phoenix, where the championship will be decided. As Majeski’s group gears up for the title fight and teams reflect on the lessons and tribulations from Martinsville, attention turns to how these experiences will shape the finale—and perhaps, who will ultimately raise the trophy.
