John Wes Townley: Red Horse Racing Talladega Superspeedway Team Advance

IN THE NEED FOR SPEED: You can count the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season as John Wes Townley’s best year to date. With five races remaining on the schedule and three fast tracks on the schedule, Townley is sure to increase his statistics before season’s end – starting this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

With five combined starts in the Truck Series, Nationwide Series and ARCA Racing Series at the 2.66-mile tri-oval, the No. 7 Zaxby’s Toyota Tundra driver is looking to secure his best finishing position. Townley has proved his need for speed and is excelling on the intermediate program this season. Don’t expect the 94-lap Fred’s 250 presented by Coca-Cola to be any different for the young driver. 

SUPERSPEEDWAY SWEEP: During the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, Red Horse Racing visited victory lane at both Superspeedway races on the schedule – Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway so the top-tiered organization is a threat to secure the checkered flag at races end.

HOMECOMING WEEKEND: Red Horse Racing Team Manager, Kevin Ray calls Talladega Superspeedway home. The Eastaboga native was raised racing go-karts making his way into the ARCA Racing Series. In five races at Talladega Superspeedway, Ray’s best finish was fourth in 1995. Ray has been with Red Horse Racing since 2006.

WHAT’S NEW AT YOUR LOCAL ZAXBY’S: Zaxby’s, a southeast favorite for chicken fingers and wings, has been indescribably good for more than 20 years. The Athens, Georgia based chain 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. A meal to rival all others, fans can score big with Zaxby’s new Fan Special. The meal includes four signature Chicken Fingers, Crinkle Fries, Texas Toast, Zax Sauce and a Large Beverage. It’s a FAN-tastic deal and only around for a limited time. The company operates more than 585 locations in 13 states. John Wes Townley will compete with Zaxby’s serving as primary sponsor for the entire 22 Truck Series race schedule. For more information, please visit zaxbys.com, facebook.com/zaxbys or follow on Twitter @Zaxbys.

CHASSIS HISTORY: Nothing says winning like bringing a wining chassis to the track. This weekend John Wes Townley and his No. 7 Zaxby’s Toyota Tundra team will race chassis No. 140. This chassis collected both superspeedway victories during the 2012 Truck Series season with two different drivers. This chassis has a third victory with a third different driver. Teammate Timothy Peters earned his first superspeedway victory with chassis 140 at Daytona International Speedway in 2010.

REARVIEW MIRROR – LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: John Wes Townley and the No. 7 Zaxby’s Toyota Tundra team have found their strength on the intermediate track program this season. Townley qualified 18th for the Smith’s 350 and had his eye on another solid top-10 finish as soon as the green flag waved. Picking off trucks one-by-one, Townley drove a smart, steady race laying back when it made sense to do so. At races end, Townley finished seventh, collecting his fourth top-10 finish of the season and second seventh-place finish. This also moves Townley up one position in the driver point standings.

John Wes Townley on Talladega Superspeedway:

Does winning the ARCA race at Daytona earlier this year give you a little bit more confidence for the superspeedway race at Talladega?

“A little bit. Obviously the competition level is a lot different in the Truck Series than the ARCA Series. Talladega too is a different track than Daytona. The straight-aways and turns are wider. We’ve got a great truck that has three superspeedway victories behind it, so I like the odds for our Zaxby’s Toyota Tundra and Red Horse Racing.

Take me around Talladega Superspeedway. What is it like to race there?

“I really like the Superspeedway. Getting into turn one and turn three are pretty similar. They are very smooth and wide which gives you a lot of room to move around. It’s not a very technical track. The technical part is the draft and that is where strategy comes into play.”

RHR PR