John Wes Townley Wiki – John Wes Townley Biography
John Wes Townley was an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 05 Chevrolet Silverado for Athenian Motorsports, and part-time in the Xfinity Series, driving the No. 05 Chevrolet Camaro for Athenian Motorsports. Tony, Townley’s father, is a co-founder of the Zaxby’s chicken restaurant chain.
Townley drove for the American Speed Association before joining NASCAR. He began competing in the Nationwide Series in 2008 when he participated in three races for RAB Racing and had three retirements. He also competed in 7 Craftsman Truck Series for Roush Racing with a best of 18 at The Milwaukee Mile and Talladega Superspeedway. He returned to the Nationwide Series with RAB in 2009 and qualified for 26 races. He finished 16 races and finished 23rd in points. Townley’s driving style proved controversial, leading to numerous accidents; he received the nickname “John Wrecks Weekly” from fans.
Townley joined Richard Childress Racing in 2010, but was released in the sixth race of the year at Phoenix International Raceway. That resulted in him being replaced for the race by Clint Bowyer, and for the rest of the year by Bowyer and Morgan Shepherd. He rejoined RAB Racing for a few races later in the 2010 season.
Townley returned to RAB Racing for the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, competing for Rookie of the Year honors.
On February 7, 2012, Townley was arrested and charged with DUI following a car accident in the suburbs of Oconee County, Georgia. He was subsequently suspended by RAB Racing until he passed an “appropriate” amount of time and NASCAR put him on probation until the end of the year. Townley would drive for the team again in the Camping World Truck Series in late March at Martinsville Speedway, where he finished 23rd. He would finish in the top 20 in the next three races and return to the Nationwide Series in the RAB’s No. 99 Toyota at Dover International Speedway and Daytona International Speedway during the summer.
In August, Townley attempted to make his Sprint Cup Series debut at Pocono Raceway, driving for FAS Lane Racing under the sponsorship of Zaxby’s. Townley hit the wall on his warm-up practice lap out of the tunnel curve and was replaced by Jason White. The same weekend he posted his first top-10 finish in NASCAR, finishing eighth in the Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono.
John Wes Townley Age
John Wes Townley was 31 years old.
Family
A native of Watkinsville, Georgia, Townley participated in mountain biking and enjoyed playing the piano and guitar. He announced his engagement to girlfriend Laura Bird in the fall of 2016.
John Wes Townley Killed in A Shooting
John Wes Townley, a former NASCAR driver who enjoyed an extensive career in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series from 2008 to 2016, was shot and killed Saturday in a double homicide in the Five Points area of Athens, Georgia. He was 31 years old.
According to a report from the Athens Banner-Herald, Athens-Clarke County Police responded to a report of a shooting just before 9 p.m. Saturday night. Townley and a 30-year-old woman had been shot and both were taken to a local hospital, where Townley died from his injuries. The woman’s injuries were described as “serious”.
A police investigation is currently underway, with a 32-year-old Dunwoody man known to the suspected victim in the case. Preliminary investigation suggests that the homicide was related to domestic violence.
John Wes Townley, 31, who retired from racing professionally in 2017, was fatally injured in the Athens shooting that police believe was related to domestic violence. the Banner-Herald of Athens reported. A former NASCAR driver was killed and a woman injured in a shooting in Georgia on Saturday, according to a report.
The unidentified 30-year-old woman was hospitalized with serious injuries. It was unclear what, if any, relationship existed between Townley and the woman. A 32-year-old man who knows the former runner is a suspect in connection with the deadly shooting. He has not yet been charged. Townley competed in 76 NASCAR races from 2008 to 2016, primarily in the Truck Series. His only victory was in 2015 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, according to Motorsport.com.
Read Also: Alligator Eating Another Alligator Video Goes Viral in South Carolina