Concord, NC (Febuary 5, 2013) — John Wes Townley and Venturini Motorsports (VMS) will continue their relationship in 2013 with limited schedules in both the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Townley, who has competed part-time under the Venturini banner since 2010, will kick-off the racing season on February 16thdriving his familiar No.15 Zaxby’s Toyota in the ARCA Series Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real at Daytona International Speedway. Townley will also compete with VMS in the ARCA Series at Salem Speedway and Road America.
John Wes Townley earned a career best third place finish with VMS at Daytona in 2010.
Fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Series, VMS is ready to embark on a new chapter in their storied history as they will make their NASCAR Nationwide Series team debut with Townley at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 16th in the Ford Ecoboost 300. Townley, once again with sponsorship support from Zaxby’s, will pilot the VMS Toyota entry featuring the team’s iconic No.25 adorned on the side of the car.
“This is a great opportunity for our team to showcase our ability to compete at the next level. We’re extremely excited to carry on our relationship with John Wes and the opportunity to continue our brand ambassadorship for Zaxby’s,” stated Billy Venturini, Competition Director for Venturini Motorsports. “Expanding our organization’s efforts into the Nationwide Series has been a total team effort. We’re grateful to our partners for giving us the chance to achieve our goals.”
VMS with their long-standing relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will feature JGR horsepower under the hood of Townley’s Toyota.
“Zaxby’s is proud to be associated with Venturini Motorsports as it ventures into the NASCAR Nationwide Series,” said Jeff Hood, financial projects director for Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc. “We’re equally excited to have John Wes Townley run a select number of ARCA races in 2013 with this proven organization.”
Townley and VMS will also enter the NASCAR Nationwide events at Talladega and Charlotte in May.
Dan Deeringhoff will re-unite with John Wes Townley and serve as crew chief for VMS’s newly formed Nationwide Series team. Deeringhoff, who won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship in 2008 with driver Clint Boyer, worked with Townley in 2010 when they were both with Richard Childress Racing.
“It’s exciting to team up with the Venturini’s and be a part of their new Nationwide program,” stated Deeringhoff. “Working with John Wes in 2010 gives me the added advantage of coming in with some familiarity putting us ahead of the curve of a new driver, crew chief relationship. I feel we’ve (Townley) got a lot of unfinished business to take care. Partnering with VMS gives us a fresh start and the opportunity to showcase our true potential.”
Deeringhoff, a native of Washington State, has worked with drivers such as Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Austin Dillon, Robert Pressley, Casey Mears and Brennan Newberry over his nine year NASCAR career.
Townley’s first race of his 2013 campaign will be the 50th annual Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real which airs live on SPEED Channel at 4:30 p.m. EST Saturday, February 16, and precedes NASCAR’s Sprint Unlimited.
About Zaxby’s
An alternative to fast food, Zaxby’s offers its guests prepared-at-order Chicken Fingerz, Traditional or Boneless Wings, sandwiches, Zalads and Zappetizers, along with a variety of nine sauces ranging from Wimpy and Tongue Torch to Nuclear and Insane. Childhood friends Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley hatched the Athens, Ga.-based chain in 1990 to provide a fun, relaxing atmosphere that would keep guests coming back for more. The company ranked number seven in the 2012 Top 10 Excellent Large Fast-Food Chains With 500 Or More U.S. Units Quick-Track study published by Sandelman & Associates. The chain also ranked number five in the nation for total sales and number one in the chicken segment in the 2012 Top 150 Fast-Casual Chain Restaurant Report published by Technomic. Zaxby’s operates more than 565 locations in 13 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. For more information, please visit zaxbys.com, facebook.com/zaxbys, or follow on Twitter @Zaxbys.
About Venturini Motorsports
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Brian Scott, Kevin Swindell, Miguel Paludo, John Wes Townley, Josh Richards and Scott Lagasse, Jr
Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com | Twitter: @VenturiniMotor | Facebook: Venturini Motorsports
