Ty Majeski hit with heavy penalties, tire confiscated ahead of Milwaukee playoff race

While he is still a championship favorite for now, Ty Majeski and his team might have just shot themselves in the foot. During inspection, NASCAR failed Majeski’s No. 98. It was so egregious, that they were forced to take his right rear tire for reasons that are unknown at this time.

Whatever the issue with the tire was, it was serious. NASCAR is making Majeski start at the rear, and serve a pass-through. He also lost his crew chief Joe Shear for the weekend. He will likely face more penalties later this week.

This is not what Ty Majeski wanted as he leads the playoffs at the moment. He has a win to put him into the next round, but lacking on points later in the postseason can spell danger for this team.

Ty Majeski issue in tech that will include more penalties. For now: will start at rear of field, must do pass-through, had a right rear tire confiscated that cannot be replaced for the sets allotted for race. Crew chief Joe Shear ejected.

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 27, 2023

If this race goes along and tires become scarce, this penalty could really hurt him even more in this race. However, the worst is yet to come if a points penalty awaits the 98 team later this week. That is just how it is.

You can afford to have one bad race, but losing points causes a lot of headaches. This will give drivers like Corey Heim and Christian Eckes and Carson Hocevar an opportunity to not just catch up to Majeski in points but to expand a lead if a penalty comes in a few days.

Heim actually leads in playoff points, but Majeski’s win puts him in front for now.

Ty Majeski doesn’t need a mistake now

Go ahead and ask Denny Hamlin how much points penalties matter. He just lost out on the regular season championship and 15 bonus points because of penalties. William Byron had a 60-point penalty this season, he missed out on the championship, too.

There tends to be a cliche that points don’t matter in the playoff era. That simply isn’t true. At this point in the season, points are previous and could be the difference between a Championship 4 appearance and leaving in the Round of 12.

Ty Majeski will have to bounce back, not just today, but the rest of the season. The Truck Series doesn’t get as many races and chances as the Xfinity and Cup Series drivers do. When you make a mistake, it means more.

With this penalty putting him behind at Milwaukee, it will be a long Sunday for Majeski. Depending on how hard NASCAR comes down on his team, it could be a long playoff.