AVONDALE, Ariz. – After being behind Corey Heim for the bulk of Friday night’s Craftsman Truck Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway, overtime was setting up precisely for Ty Majeski. He was aiming to become the first driver to win consecutive series titles since his ThorSport Racing teammate Matt Crafton accomplished the feat more than a decade ago.
When Connor Mosack brought out the caution with less than three laps remaining in regulation, the No. 98 team led by Joe Shear Jr. opted to take two tires on pit road. Fellow Championship 4 competitors Kaden Honeycutt and Tyler Ankrum had the same play. Meanwhile, Heim, who cruised to the first two stage wins, leading 98 of the 150 regulation laps, dropped to 10th in the running order exiting pit road by taking four fresh Goodyear tires.
On the jump, Heim drove deep into Turn 1, as the field spread out seven-wide for the lead. Majeski exited Turn 2 as the leader, though the No. 11 truck made quick work, gaining eight positions to second. Contact ensued further back inside the top 10 causing a multi-truck pileup entering Turn 3.
CAUTION IS OUT. We'll have another restart. Majeski leads Heim and Honeycutt.
(Also … WHAT A MOVE BY HEIM 👀) pic.twitter.com/9MC0KHzu6D
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) November 1, 2025
“I came out of [Turn] 2 in the lead,” Majeski said post race. “Unfortunately [Heim] was pulling on my quarter panel down the backstretch already after one corner. If that restart plays out differently, somebody goes lower into one and takes air away from him, it could pan out differently.
“I thought that was our best shot at it, I really did. I’m totally behind Joe’s call for two tires. It just didn’t quite work out.”
The field re-racked for double overtime, with Majeski choosing the outside lane. Heim took the bottom with Honeycutt lined up behind the No. 11 Toyota. Once the field took the green flag, Heim drove it deep into Turns 1 and 2 yet again, clearing the No. 98 Ford on corner exit. Heim hung on for the victory, capping off a dominant season in which he won 48% of the races, earning the first championship for Tricon Garage.
“Once he got out in front of me, it was over. I knew that,” Majeski added. “If that restart goes like I said before just a little bit differently and somebody takes his air away and he gets caught up in traffic, I break free there, that could have been the race-winning move.
“Just didn’t pan out that way. Thankful to have the opportunity to come back here and race for a championship once again for the third time in four years.”
Majeski followed up his championship campaign going winless. The No. 98 team ended the season with 12 consecutive top-10 finishes, however, and a career-high 18 top 10s for the season.
“It was a tale of two seasons,” Ankrum noted. “We had a very stern meeting with ourselves in early June and we looked each other in the eye and said, ‘We’re champions. We deserve to be here,’ and we got our season turned around. We went on a streak of now 12 top 10s in a row, nine of them being top fives, and felt like we were poised to defend our title tonight. We were in position to do that, but just a little bit short.”