Wisconsin racers Ty Majeski, Derek Kraus, others explain car numbers
The number of Ty Majeski’s car came from a pragmatic decision in karting. Levon Van Der Geest got No. 23 from his dad … and indirectly his mom.
TOWN OF RUTLAND – Kenzie got her smile back. So did her dad.
In the days leading up to the Joe Shear Classic, after a trip to the orthodontist to have her braces removed, Casey Johnson’s oldest daughter proclaimed to her parents she was good to go for victory lane photos at Madison International Speedway.
Casey was just as ready after a similarly arduous process. For him, it’s the recovery from a serious concussion suffered in 2022 on top of the numerous bumps and knocks over the years in a race car.
It’s hard to go in circles when your head is already spinning.
“With concussions and vertigo, my body wasn’t happy,” explained Johnson, who sat out the 2023 season and raced just a handful of times last year.
“It’s a little happier now, so at least I can drive.”
Johnson was a threat anywhere he raced before his jarring wreck at the since-closed Rockford Speedway. He may not be all the way back to that form, but he’s a lot closer.
A $15,000 victory May 4 in one of the premier super late model specials in the state confirmed that, as did the group hug with Kenzie and her two sisters.
“Seventy-five percent is what we’re going to give it. But when I’m in there, I can lock in and go,” he said, nodding toward his black No. 5 car.
“That’s where I love to be, and that’s where I want to be, so I’m going to keep doing it for a few more years.”
Johnson, 34, of Edgerton, beat defending ASA Midwest Tour champion Gabe Sommers, getting around for good with seven laps to go. Justin Mondeik finished third, Michael Bilderback fourth and Austin Nason fifth.
Ty Majeski, the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion and two-time defending Shear Classic winner, was eliminated in a crash while racing with Nason for the lead on the 143rd of 200. He led a race-high 49 laps. Other contenders hurt or eliminated by contact included Luke Fenhaus and Andrew Morrissey.
“Honestly, in that first 100 laps, I was fighting for every inch on that racetack,” said Johnson, who also won the Shear race in 2022. “I did not think we had a car to win. Once I could see the front, it’s like something just clicks in my head and all of a sudden, how I can win?
“We got lucky with the Austin and Ty thing. They had two solid cars. Andrew Morrissey had a solid car, had some bad luck. And that’s what a lot of these big races are. You got to be lucky and good, and we just lucked out today.”
Whatever the circumstances, this race was exactly what Johnson needed.
He won a feature last season at Jefferson Speedway and a segment of Dick Trickle 99 at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, but this was different, given the competition, prestige and money on the line.
A guy who was stuck in the pits two years ago and barely raced in 2024 is looking at a couple of dozen races and considering a run for the Midwest Tour title, and he has confidence on his side.
“I got to prove to myself every time,” Johnson said. “For some reason I always feel like the underdog, even though we’re not, I have a great team. We have great cars. And sometimes we can get the job done.
“But after sitting out for two years, we didn’t have a marquee win since then, so to come back and win here, to what I’d say is one of the biggest races in Wisconsin, I’m super proud of that.”
You could see that in his smile.
Read the full article here