CONCORD, N.C. (August 27, 2012) – John Wes Townley and the Zaxby’s Racing team headed to Bristol Motor Speedway to compete under the lights in Friday night’s Food City 250, where the RAB Racing team proved that they had a Toyota Camry capable of contending for a top-10 finish, but a late-race incident sidelined the team for a number of laps. The team’s never-quit attitude was put on display as Townley was able to return to the track and salvage a 23rd-place finish.
Townley recorded the 14th-fastest time in Friday’s lone practice session. Later that afternoon, the 22-year-old driver recorded a lap of 16.172 seconds, at an average speed of 118.650 mph, to earn the 20th starting position for the 250-lap feature.
From the drop of the green flag later that evening, Townley wasted no time advancing position, piloting his Toyota Camry into the top 10 by Lap 60.Townley maintained his position amongst the top 15 throughout the night, as he raced between 12th and 15th. Unfortunately, on Lap 227, Townley hit the wall, which resulted in a broken wheel. Townley brought his Zaxby’s machine to the attention of the Scott Zipadelli-led RAB Racing crew, where swift repairs saw him able to return to the track where he would take the checkered flag in the 23rd position.
Despite the less-than-desired result, RAB Racing advanced one position, to 18th, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series owner point standings. With 23 of 33 races complete, the No. 99 team trails 17th place by by 17 markers, and a spot in the top 15 by 42.
“All in all, we had a good weekend,” said Townley. “I was able to hang on until the last 25 laps of the race. We got into the fence a little bit and broke a wheel. Our guys stayed on top of it so we could finish the race and I applaud them for that. It’s unfortunate that after so much work, it’s ending like this. But we’ll hold our heads up and look forward to Atlanta.”
The next stop for the NASCAR Nationwide Series will be Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 1, 2012.
