Amid the ongoing antitrust litigation initiated by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, NASCAR has again found itself in hot water. The organization has come under fire for imposing sanctions on Ty Majeski due to his absence from the media day, an obligation purportedly stipulated in driver contracts. According to recent developments, the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Champion has lost the appeal.
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On November 5, Majeski returned to his home state of Wisconsin to exercise his civic duty [vote] on election day. However, this civic engagement collided with NASCAR’s Championship 4 Media Day in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In their periodic penalty report, which primarily addressed Cup series incidents at Martinsville, NASCAR fined Majeski $12,500 for failing to fulfill his media obligations.
As reported by Bob Pockrass, of Fox Sports, “Ty Majeski loses appeal of $12,500 fine for not attending Championship 4 production day (he was in Wisconsin to vote in person). Panel: “Driver failed to meet contractual agreement with NASCAR. One of the most, if not most, important media obligations of the entire season.”
Upon his arrival in Phoenix for the season finale, Majeski had expressed his view that the penalty was unprecedented, asserting that his team had duly notified NASCAR of his absence on the day in question.
Ty Majeski loses appeal of $12,500 fine for not attending Championship 4 production day (he was in Wisconsin to vote in-person). Panel: “Driver failed to meet contractual agreement with NASCAR. One of the most, if not most, important media obligations of the entire season.”
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) December 11, 2024
However, “NASCAR says that it was never told that Majeski was staying home to vote, only that he planned on not coming to the Champ 4 production day. If NASCAR did know the reason, it indicated that it would have tried to work the schedule so he could get home to vote.”
But fans are largely in favor of the 2024 champion with one straightaway saying “They can say that, but they’re also the same group who decided to hold a media event on the same day as a US Presidential election. Any one of them could have went to a calendar and said ‘Oh hey that’s Election Day. Maybe not the best timing.'”
One took a sarcastic tone to take a dig at NASCAR and said, “Gee I wonder what people are gonna do on election day.”
That’s a real back eye on the NASCAR management and ownership group.
— Gus Albert (@GusAlbert6) December 11, 2024
Another called out NASCAR for their bad faith in the constitution and country with: “Then that’s really bad faith and proof that nascar does not care about drivers and fans. Bc they have proof that he was in state and voted and nascar could easily just “under constitutional circumstances we have decided to wipe our fine and penalty to Ty Majeski.””
It remains to be seen, though, if Majeski or ThorSport Racing escalate the matter to NASCAR’s final appeals process or not.
