CONCORD, N.C. (October 15, 2012) – The No. 99 Zaxby’s Toyota Camry, piloted by John Wes Townley, had a strong run in the early going of Saturday’s Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but a delaminated tire left the team with a 32nd-place finish.
Making the second of two trips to their home track during the 2012 season,Townley and RAB Racing recorded the 15th and 21st fastest times in the two scheduled NASCAR Nationwide Series practices leading up to the Friday night event. After his qualifying attempt on the 1.5-mile tri-oval, Townley posted a speed fast enough to slot into the 12th starting position.
Throughout the 200-lap event under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the No. 99 Zaxby’s Toyota Camry remained solidly within the Top-20. Lamentably, on Lap 155 a tire delaminat edcausing suspension damage. This ultimately created persistent tire issues as the laps were winding down, relegating the 22-year-old driver to a 32nd-place finishing position.
Despite the less-than-desired result, RAB Racing holds down the 22nd position in the NASCAR Nationwide Series owner point standings. With 29 of 33 races complete, the No. 99 team trails 19th place by only two markers.
“It was unfortunate to have a tire fail like that,” said Townley. “We had a decent run going, the guys gave me a brand-new Zaxby’s Toyota Camry that was pretty fast all night. We missed the setup a little bit, but we were making gains. The guys made good adjustments all night, but we were too tight all night. It’s a shame the tire came apart like that, but that was out of our hands. But going forward, we have four more Camping World Truck Series races left this season and we’ll see what we can do there.”
The next stop for the NASCAR Nationwide Series will be Kansas Speedway on Saturday, October 20, 2012.
